The Palestinian Authority said that it is holding consultations in the corridors of the Security Council ahead of a meeting today to discuss the Palestinian issue, at the top of which is the recent American position that started the settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories, a position that was rejected by Europe and Palestinian and Arab condemnation.
Palestinian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Riyad Mansour said in a press statement that his country is holding consultations with representatives of the Security Council members starting with the Arab member (Kuwait).
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said yesterday that the United States no longer considers Israeli settlements to be contrary to international law.
Pompeo said in a press conference that Washington had abandoned the position of the former US President Barack Obama on the issue of settlements.
But US Permanent Representative to the United Nations Kelly Kraft said her country would remain committed to peace between Palestinians and Israelis. "It is important to be clear about serious matters, and today's announcement on Israeli settlements is dangerous," she said in a statement distributed to reporters.
"Let's be clear, the United States will remain fully committed to the cause of peace." Today's announcement does not change this fact. The debate over international law will not bring about the lasting peace we are committed to.
In contrast, presidential candidate Senator Bernie Snanders said the Israeli settlements were illegal, adding: "Once again, Trump isolates Washington to please his extremist base."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the US decision, adding that the decision corrected a historical injustice that did not recognize the historic right of Jews to own land.
But the EU quickly rejected the US move, saying settlement activity was illegal and undermined the viability of a two-state solution and the prospects for lasting peace.
The international community overwhelmingly considers the settlements illegal, partly based on the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prevents the occupying power from transferring Israelis to the occupied territories.
Arab and Palestinian condemnation
On the Arab side, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that Israeli settlements are illegal and contrary to international law, and stressed in a statement the Egyptian position on compliance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and international law, regarding the status of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as illegal and contrary to international law.
For his part, Jordan warned of the danger of changing the American position towards Israeli settlements.
This came in a tweet on the Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who said that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine violate international law and resolutions of international legitimacy, and a measure that kills the two-state solution and undermines the chances of achieving a comprehensive peace
As for a Palestinian, Saeb Erekat, secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said that the US administration has lost any role in the peace process. He described the US position on Al-Jazeera on the settlements as not only a violation of international law, but a continuation of the so-called deal of the century or the US peace plan in the Middle East.
For its part, said the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) that Pompeo's statements are a continuation of the US policy in support of the occupation and the implementation of the terms of the deal of the century, as it is an official cover and legitimization of the violations of the occupation against the Palestinian people.
In this context, the PFLP and the Islamic Jihad called for an end to the split, in response to Washington's decision on Israeli settlements in the occupied territories.
It is noteworthy that the administration of President Donald Trump has taken several decisions in favor of Tel Aviv, met with wide controversy and condemnation, most notably the transfer of the Embassy of Washington from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and the east and west of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
At the same time, the Trump administration is pushing for a peace plan called the deal of the century, which, according to US and Israeli leaks, is forcing Palestinians to make unfair concessions to Israel, especially over the status of occupied Jerusalem, the right of return of refugees, and the borders of a Palestinian state.