High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini condemned the Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Washington no longer viewed the building of settlements as illegal
GAZA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th November, 2019) High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini condemned the Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Washington no longer viewed the building of settlements as illegal.
Pompeo announced at a press briefing on Monday that the "establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the change in policy, saying on Monday that it "rights a historical wrong."
Federica Mogherini said in a Monday statement that the EU stance with regard to Israeli settlements in the West Bank remained the same.
"The European Union's position on Israeli settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territory is clear and remains unchanged: all settlement activity is illegal under international law and it erodes the viability of the two-state solution and the prospects for a lasting peace, as reaffirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2334," Mogherini stressed.
She added that the European Union was calling on Israel to end all settlement activity and start negotiating a two-state solution.
Pompeo said on Monday that "calling the establishment of civilian settlements inconsistent with international law has not worked," but emphasized that the change in the US stance on the issue should not be interpreted as an attempt to prejudge the status of the West Bank.
Israel, which refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity, has been constructing settlements in the West Bank despite objections from the United Nations. Palestinians have been seeking diplomatic recognition for their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which are partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip.
