WASHINGTON - America has expressed support for Israel who wants to build Jewish settlements in the West Bank. In fact, this area is Palestinian territory occupied by Israel. This support contradicts their 40-year commitment to building Jewish settlements there, 'incompatible with international law'.
The statement of support for settlement building was announced by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said that US statements on settlements in the West Bank - which Israel annexed in 1967 - had been inconsistent.
Pompeo quoted US President Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) who considered that the US position was inconsistent with international law. Then, US President Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) who said he did not consider these settlements to be illegal.
Pompeo's remarks on the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank won praise from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu appealed to other countries to take a similar stance with America in supporting Israel's right to build settlements in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, Palestinians do not like the United States for this matter. For them, the US has no right to determine Israeli and Palestinian settlements.
"The United States has neither the expertise nor the authority to nullify legitimate international resolutions. The United States also has no right to provide any justification for settlements by Israel," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said the US under the leadership of the United States Donald Trump was threatening to replace international law with 'law of the jungle'.
The neighboring state of Israel and Palestine, Jordan warns of this US policy. Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the policy would have "dangerous repercussions" on the future of the peace talks.
Safadi also said that the Israeli settlements "are a clear violation of international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions."
Pompeo's statement, which has been criticized, is said to have no intention of judging the status of the West Bank. Pompeo said the West Bank issue would be resolved in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
This statement, continued Pompeo, was not intended to force these negotiations to be completed quickly even though they created legal conflicts.
"It is an issue that Israel and the Palestinians have to negotiate," he said.
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