The Embassy of the State of Palestine strongly condemns in unequivocal terms the announcement issued by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, that the Trump administration no longer considered Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank “inconsistent” with international law, stating that “After carefully studying an sides of the legal debate, the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with international law.”
This is a blatant violation as according to several United Nations Security Council resolutions, the most recent in 2016, Israeli settlements are illegal under international law as they violate the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its population to the area it occupies.
In this instance the Embassy of the State of Palestine would like to state that Washington is not qualified or authorized to cancel the resolutions of international law, and has no right to grant legality to any Israeli settlement.
Further these announcements is simply to smokescreen and divert attention from Trumps impeachment hearing and Netanyahu number of alleged corruption scandals which are being investigated involving Netanyahu and his close political circle which are underway.
Therefore the Embassy of the State of Palestine appeals to the International Community and Governments, to stoutly condemn this announcement as a blatant violation of International law and International humanitarian law against the State of Palestine.
Issuing a statement Palestine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Dr. Riad Malki said that the State of Palestine condemns in the strongest terms the US administration’s lawless position on Israel’s illegal settlements in occupied territory of the State of Palestine, as announced by the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “This position violates international law, decades-long international consensus over the issue and determinations of the International Court of Justice, the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions and United Nations resolutions, including Security Council resolutions.
The current US Administration has adopted an anti-Palestinian agenda and endeavoured to empower and legitimize the Israeli colonial settler agenda. This ideologically driven and irresponsible policy, including this most recent announcement by Secretary Pompeo, prove beyond any doubt that the current US administration has aligned itself with Israel’s illegal colonial enterprise and thus fails to meet the most basic requirements of to play any role in any future solution. This administration cannot and will not rewrite international law. However, the Trump administration’s disregard to the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights is symptomatic of its disregard and contempt to the rules-based international system and multi-lateralism, whose effects go beyond the Question of Palestine. Allowing this agenda to prevail would ensure the demise of the international order and cause irreversible damage to the achievements of humanity over the past seven decades and threatens to plunge the world into chaos and violence. The State of Palestine will not stop pursuing justice and redress for the Palestinian people. The Palestinian leadership will continue to take all measures possible to honour its moral and political responsibility towards our people, and defend their national rights including their natural right to a life of dignity, freedom and prosperity.
The State of Palestine calls on the inter-actional community to respond firmly to such destructive behaviour by supporting Palestine’s efforts at the international level to protect the two-state solution by recognizing the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders, insisting on full respect for international law and adherence to the United Nations Charter, ensuring that any political track must aim to end the Israeli occupation, and defending the internationally agreed-on framework for peace. Only positive actions that reestablish credibility to international law and respect for the need for justice as a prerequisite of peace can achieve that.”
In his statement Palestine’s Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said, “as impeachment hearings are underway, the US administration is attempting to divert attention away from its own illegal conduct by absolving Israel of its war crimes as if it has the power to change the Fourth Geneva Convention and the law of occupation. In 2016, the UN Security Council reaffirmed the flagrant illegality of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land, something the US government had also established during the Carter Administration, The Trump imperial presidency has shown little respect for international law, human rights, regional security, or even its own national interest in a stable Mideast free from the threat of terrorism and political violence, While this latest move by the US administration is not unexpected to Palestinians, it will send shock waves throughout the international order as it stands as a threat to the international legality and institutions painstakingly built since the end of World War II”.
