West Bank settlements: failure of the Security Council and a European rejection of Washington's position

The European countries in the Security Council - Britain, France, Germany, Belgium and Poland - confirmed that their position on Israeli settlement activities is clear and unchanged, and that these activities are illegal under international law, while the Security Council failed to issue a statement denouncing the new American position that considered the settlements legal.

Prior to a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, they said that settlements undermine the two-state solution, calling on Israel to end all settlement activity.

It is noteworthy that the Security Council failed to issue even a press statement against the recent US position that the settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are not contrary to international law.

The Vatican also announced that Washington's decision to consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank as legitimate, threatening to undermine the peace process and stability in the region, and reiterated its support for a two-state solution.

The Swedish Churches Association criticized the US declaration of recognition of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, calling for a return to a two-state solution.

Recognition of Palestine
Luxembourg - The European Union should recognize a Palestinian state after the United States expressed support for Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said on Wednesday.

"Recognition of Palestine as a state is neither known nor an open mandate, but a recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to their state," Asselborn said. "It is not meant to oppose Israel, but a measure designed to pave the way for a two-state solution."

On the Arab side, Kuwait's UN Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi said that the UN Security Council failed to issue a position confirming the illegality of Israeli settlement work because of the opposition of one member of the council, referring to the United States.

For his part, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi - in a tweet on Twitter - that his country appreciated the assertion of the countries elected in the Security Council that the illegality of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and its refusal to violate international law.

He added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement of his intention to annex the occupied Jordan Valley is a declaration that kills all peaceful efforts.

The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riad Mansour, considered that the announcement of the US administration on the settlements aims to strike any opportunity to achieve peace and stability in the region and for the benefit of our people.

In turn, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ashtiyeh said that the recent American declaration that settlement is not in violation of international law is a blow to the two-state solution and the recognition of the occupation as a fait accompli.

At the start of an emergency session of his government in Ramallah, Ashtiyeh called on the European Union and Russia to withdraw citizenship from all settlers who hold their nationalities and live inside these settlements, and called on the International Criminal Court to open an immediate investigation into the file submitted to it by the State of Palestine on Israeli settlements.

Hamas condemns
In this context, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) denounced the recent US decision on the settlements in the West Bank, and said the head of the political bureau of the movement, Ismail Haniyeh, that the decision is a political massacre that gives cover to Israeli massacres, the latest of what happened in the Gaza Strip.

He added in a statement that this is a continuation of the series of American positions to strike and end the constants of the Palestinian issue such as Jerusalem, refugees and settlements.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that Israeli settlements in the West Bank were "not in themselves inconsistent with international law", despite UN Security Council resolutions deeming settlements illegal on occupied Palestinian land.

This shift has put the United States in confrontation with the entire international community and has been criticized by the European Union, the United Nations and the Arab League.