Trump’s Decision on Settlements Opens the Way to Annexation
- Trump’s Decision on Settlements Opens the Way to Annexation
by https://thearabweekly.com/
A US policy based upon a recognition of “facts on the ground” signifies a ringing endorsement of an Israeli strategy pursued since the first settlement was established in areas conquered in June 1967.
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The Trump administration removed another major obstacle to Israel’s annexation of the West Bank by reversing Washington’s long-held view that Israel’s creation of settlements in the occupied territories was a violation of international law.
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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the new policy on November 18, 102 years after publication of the historic Balfour Declaration signalled British support for a Jewish state in Palestine.
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In his announcement, Pompeo employed the same logic underlying the Trump administration’s decisions on Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. He explained that “what we’ve done today is we have recognised the reality on the ground. We’ve now declared that settlements are not per se illegal under international law,” he said.
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“We think, in fact, we’ve increased the likelihood that the vision for peace that this administration has, we think we’ve created space for that to be successful. I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to move forward on that before too terribly long.”
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A US policy based upon a recognition of “facts on the ground” signifies a ringing endorsement of an Israeli strategy pursued since the first settlement was established in areas conquered in June 1967 and, indeed, since the Balfour era a century ago.
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Trump’s decision signifies “a huge achievement” in the words of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, for whom the Trump presidency has been a gift that keeps on giving. Like its previous departures from the international consensus on the Golan and Jerusalem, US recognition of the legality of settlements marks a complete and irreversible victory for Israeli efforts aimed at undermining the ability of Palestinians to establish a sovereign presence anywhere in the Palestinian territories.
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9 … I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a [a]synagogue of Satan.