Pompeo announces U.S. will no longer view Israeli settlements as illegal

[brooklynite]

Source: Axios

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Monday that the U.S. will no longer view Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem as "inconsistent with international law."

Why it matters: This move is an important shift because it cancels a legal position held by the U.S. State Department since 1978, when the Carter administration determined that the settlements were a violation of international law. The Reagan administration reiterated this position and it has become U.S. policy ever since.

On the other hand, the move is mostly symbolic and will have no practical implications. The Trump administration didn’t see the settlements as illegal and this decision today will make it a more formal position.

Between the lines: The announcement marks yet another instance of the Trump administration moving to weaken Palestinian efforts to achieve statehood. Pompeo said in a statement that legal questions about settlements should be addressed by the Israeli courts, not the international community.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/pompeo-israel-settlements-west-bank-illegal-6b7e954b-3058-4c7f-b881-2cb16e1badb1.html

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Jared, you are an idiot.

Your "peace plan"'sucks.

[onecaliberal]

2. Geezus Christ.

[Imperialism Inc.]

3. At this point the US needs to support a one state solution.

Maps like this show what a farce all the two-state blathering is. It's just euphemism for what Pompeo just announced as official policy, which is just let Israel take it all and the Palestinians can just die.

[hack89]

5. That will never happen

Israel is not going to commit national suicide

[Igel]

13. And many of the calls are for just that.

Surrounding Israel is a sea of anti-Semitism, with a large portion of its population actively denying any Jewish heritage in the area. (Even if Jews have been in continued presence in some areas for longer than Arabs have been in the area in any role other than as travelers and merchants; even in Hebron, ethnic cleansing in living memory was retconned to mean that when Jews moved back in after Israel retook the territory it was the first time. And the Jewish shrine was actually originally Muslim.)

[herding cats]

4. Quite a boon to Netanyahu.

I find myself wondering if this was offered up to silence some information Netanyahu has on Trump from being revealed now that Trump is on the ropes?

[tishaLA]

7. Yup. Along with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China...

[Imperialism Inc.]

8. It's for the Christian Evangelical base.

You've probably noticed as impeachment ramps up and election time approaches, we've seen various paeans to that segment of his base. This is another one. Many far right Christians are Christian Zionists who believe Israel must be "reclaimed" in order for Jesus to come back. It's a pretty sick belief given that they also believe that after it happens all the Jews (except for a few hundred) will burn in hell.

Definitely not a Russia thing. Russia doesn't support the settlements.

[BootinUp]

6. just replace the words "The U.S." with Trump.

[TomVilmer]

9. And in other news...

European consumers must be informed when the food they buy comes from Israeli settlements in territories such as the West Bank and the Golan Heights. Such is the result of a much-anticipated ruling Tuesday by Europe’s highest court.
https://fortune.com/2019/11/12/israel-european-ruling-wine-labels-diplomacy/

[BlueMTexpat]

10. Pompeo needs to go.

As soon as possible.

[Miigwech]

11. Result; more killings, more division. No Peace.

[Recursion]

12. Oh for God's sake

[Shoonra]

14. Could this sudden turn-about be .....

Could this sudden reversal of American legal position on Israeli settlements be ....

(1) A cynical attempt to shore up Trump support among American Jews by exploiting their suppositious dual loyalty?

or

(2) A stunt to trigger a new war in the Middle East on the assumption that a major war will cause American voters to rally behind the sitting President?

[Progressive Jones]

15. I think that if Trump was to start a major war

he would end up a casualty of that war.

[olddad65]

16. Fuck Pompeo. Just another mobster