Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States believes that all new Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories is “illegitimate” under international law, reversing the Trump administration’s repudiation of what had been long-standing U.S. policy.
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- Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated the U.S. views all new Israeli settlement activity in the Palestinian territories as “illegitimate” under international law, counteracting the previous stance under the Trump administration.
- This announcement came following Israel’s decision to construct over 3,300 new homes in West Bank settlements, a move the U.S. found disappointing and counterproductive to peace efforts.
- Blinken’s remarks in Argentina mark a return to the long-standing U.S. policy that regards settlement expansion as an obstacle to achieving a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine, reversing the “Pompeo Doctrine” established by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The Associated Press has the story:
Blinken: US opposes Israeli ‘illegitimate’ new settlements in West Bank
Newslooks- BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — (AP)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States believes that all new Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories is “illegitimate” under international law, reversing the Trump administration’s repudiation of what had been long-standing U.S. policy.
Speaking in the Argentine capital, Blinken said the U.S. was “disappointed” to learn of an Israeli announcement on Friday that it would build more than 3,300 new homes in settlements in the West Bank in response to a fatal Palestinian shooting attack.
Blinken condemned the attack but said the U.S. is opposed to settlement expansion. He reversed what had been known as the “Pompeo Doctrine” under which former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had repudiated a Carter administration-era legal finding that settlements were not consistent with international law.
“It’s been long-standing U.S. policy under Republican and Democratic administrations alike that new settlements are counter-productive to reaching an enduring peace,” Blinken told reporters at a joint news conference with Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino.
Blinken’s predecessor, Pompeo, reversed the 1978 determination that was penned by the State Department’s then-legal adviser Herbert Hansell. The Hansell Memorandum did not say that settlements were “illegal” but rather “illegitimate.” That formed the basis of decades of U.S. policy.
