Israel celebrates and the PA protests to the Security Council. International condemnation of US support for settlements

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel on Tuesday welcomed a new US stance that said settlements in the occupied West Bank were not contrary to international law, as the Palestinian Authority said it would call for an international inquiry into the legality of Washington's stance, which has drawn international condemnation.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that the administration, "having carefully studied all the arguments in this legal debate," concluded that "the establishment of settlements for Israeli civilians in the West Bank does not in itself contravene international law."

Pompeo added that "considering the establishment of Israeli settlements as being contrary to international law has not succeeded or made progress on the peace issue." The aim is not to send a message (...) on whether the number of settlements should be increased or reduced, but merely a legal review. ".

Israeli welcome
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the US announcement. Yesterday, he toured the Gush Etzion settlement complex south of Bethlehem and met with the heads of the West Bank settlement councils.

He said the US position was "a great achievement for the State of Israel after the administration of President Donald Trump corrected historical injustice."

Pompeo's remarks were praised by the political class and most of the Israeli media and settler associations.

The United Nations considers the settlements established on the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967 to be illegal, and a large part of the international community sees them as a major obstacle to peace.

The US declaration is a new blow to the international consensus on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. He added to a series of actions taken by the US administration in favor of Israel.

Since Trump came to power, Washington has recognized a unilateral decision on Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the sovereignty of the occupation authorities over the Syrian Golan. Its recent unilateral decision also contradicts traditional US policy for decades.

Palestinian action
Meanwhile, PLO Executive Committee Secretary Saeb Erekat said at a press conference in Ramallah that the Palestinian Authority "started a series of steps against the recent American position on settlements, including going to international institutions."

"We will go to the Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the International Criminal Court and the Human Rights Council against this resolution," he said. "We have begun deliberations at the UN to present a draft resolution in the Security Council."

One of the steps the PA will take, according to Erekat, is to "ask the ICC to open a formal judicial investigation of Israeli officials regarding the settlements."

International condemnation
At the international level, voices denouncing the American stance have reminded the European Union that its position is "clear" and "unchanged", stating that "all settlement activity is illegal under international law and jeopardizes the viability of a two-state solution and prospects for a lasting peace."

"The EU calls on Israel to put an end to its settlement activities in line with its obligations as an occupying power," said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, Michael Link, condemned the US decision on the settlements, saying it was "a flagrant violation of international consensus and will only lead to the consolidation of the Israeli occupation."

In Paris, the French Foreign Ministry considered that "the Israeli settlement policy in the occupied territories is illegal under international law and contrary to the resolutions of the Security Council."

In London, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "The UK position on the settlements has not changed. They are illegal under international law and represent an obstacle to peace and threaten a two-state solution."

For its part, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry confirmed through its spokesman, Ahmed Hafez, "Egypt's commitment to 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."

Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit condemned the US declaration as a "very negative development" and "a disregard for a stable legal principle enshrined in international law."

An obstacle to peace
As for Turkey, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Israel is "not above international law." "No country is above international law," he wrote in a tweet on Twitter. "Statements in the form of de facto enforcement have no power under international law."

Speaking at a news conference after a cabinet meeting at the presidential compound in Ankara on Tuesday, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Gulen expressed his country's condemnation and rejection of the US declaration.

They said the decision was "unfortunate" and "violated international law and Palestinian rights."

Qatar expressed its rejection of the American position, pointing out that "this step is an obstacle to the desired peace." The Qatari Foreign Ministry said that "this declaration would hinder the efforts of peace and hopes of a two-state solution and deepen the situation of tension and tension in the region."

In Kuwait, Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Al-Jarallah said his country affirmed the illegality and illegality of Israeli settlements and called for abiding by international resolutions "so as not to violate".

Germany also confirmed its position on Israeli settlement policy in the West Bank. She considered settlement construction illegal, in accordance with international law.

She added that the settlements affect the possibility of proceeding with the peace process and make the negotiations difficult to achieve a two-state solution. It stressed that it would continue to work with its European Union partners for a negotiated solution that would fulfill the legitimate demands of the parties.

Nothing changes
In international reactions to the US move, Amnesty International said the US government is telling the world today that it believes that the United States and Israel are above the law, and that Israel can continue to violate international law and violate the rights of the Palestinians. Strongly.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the sponsor of the Geneva Conventions embodying international humanitarian law protecting civilians and others, reiterated its position that the West Bank was occupied territory.

"In addition, the ICRC reiterated that Israel's settlement policy contradicts the main provisions of international humanitarian law, or the law of occupation, and is contrary to its letter and spirit," ICRC spokesman Ewan Watson told Reuters.

Human Rights Watch, in turn, announced in Washington in a statement that the US position "does not change anything," and that "Trump cannot erase decades-old international law that settlement construction is a war crime."