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West Bank settlements not illegal, Pompeo announces in historic U.S. policy shift

U.S. Ambassador Friedman to ‘Post’: New policy advances the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace
U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo listens during a news conference in Reykjavik (photo credit: ASGEIR ASGEIRSSON/REUTERS)

U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo listens during a news conference in Reykjavik (photo credit: ASGEIR ASGEIRSSON/REUTERS)

In a historic reversal of US policy, the Trump administration announced on Monday that it does not view Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal. The policy change was announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington.“After carefully studying all sides of the legal debate, this administration agrees with President Reagan,” Pompeo said in reference to Ronald Reagan’s position that settlements were not inherently illegal. “The establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law,” Pompeo said.Read More Related Articles

Pompeo’s remarks, The Jerusalem Post has learned, came after a year-long review conducted by the State Department’s legal office. The team met with international law experts as well as officials from different governments to hear their opinions.Pompeo said that the review was prompted by the Obama administration’s decision to enable the passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 in December 2016, according to which settlement activity constitutes a "flagrant violation" of international law and has "no legal validity".Pompeo gave a brief historical review of US policy on the legality of settlements, mentioning how it has “been inconsistent over decades.” In 1978, he said, the Carter administration concluded that the establishment of civilian settlements was inconsistent with international law but Reagan overturned that stance in 1981. Until Obama, he said, “administrations recognized that unrestrained settlement activity could be an obstacle to peace but they wisely and prudently recognized that dwelling on legal positions didn’t advance peace.”While it was not immediately clear how the new policy would impact the future roll out of the Trump peace plan, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said that the announcement Monday could actually advance peace between Israel and the Palestinians.“I am pleased that the effort has concluded and that the Secretary’s conclusions have been published,” Friedman told The Post. “I believe that they will bring truth and clarity to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and advances the cause of peace.”

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Source: The Jerusalem Post

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