Monday, November 18, 2019

Pompeo Issues Historic Policy Reversal: Israeli West Bank Settlements 'Not Illegal'

In a major, if entirely expected, complete reversal of Obama-era policy on the Middle East, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Monday the Trump administration is reversing the official US stance on the illegality of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

"After carefully studying all sides of the legal debate, this administration agrees with President Reagan," Pompeo said in reference to Reagan's view 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.

"The Trump administration is reversing the Obama administration's approach towards Israeli settlements. U.S. public statements on settlement activities in the West Bank have been inconsistent over decades."

This came after the State Department's legal office was ordered to conduct a year-long review of the official US policy on the expanding settlements in the West Bank, according to The Jerusalem Post.

The EU court, for example, earlier this month moved to require all EU countries to specially label any product made in illegal Israeli West Bank settlements, something US Congressional leaders are attempting to lobby EU officials against, according to reports.

Pompeo will repudiate the State Department's 41-year-old legal opinion that Israel's West Bank settlements are illegal, paving the way for further annexation and occupationhttps://t.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/pompeo-issues-major-us-policy-reversal-west-bank-settlements-not-illegal

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