US Does Not View Israeli Settlements As Inconsistent With International Law - US Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo

The United States no longer views dozens of Jewish settlements established by Israel in the occupied West Bank as inconsistent with international law, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Monday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th November, 2019) The United States no longer views dozens of Jewish settlements established by Israel in the occupied West Bank as inconsistent with international law, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Monday.

"The establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law," Pompeo said in a press briefing.

He repudiated a 1978 State Department legal opinion on illegality of settlements, now a home to over 600,000 Israelis. It is the latest of Trump administration moves to bolster Israel's grip over the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories claimed by the Palestinians to establish a state of their own.