Yesterday, Thursday, media reports said that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is determined to visit an Israeli settlement built on occupied Palestinian land and the Syrian Golan Heights, next week, to become the first president of US diplomacy to take such a step.
Pompeo will visit a winery in the settlement of Psagot in the West Bank, and he will also visit the occupied Golan since 1967, which US President Donald Trump has admitted to annexing Israel, according to Haaretz and Axios.
The US State Department did not confirm the two visits, but a statement issued by it on Tuesday stated that Pompeo will visit Israel, during which he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Pompeo's visit comes two months before the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden, who previously opposed settlement activity and pledged to make more diplomatic efforts to establish a Palestinian state.
Specifically, a year ago, Pompeo stated that the United States does not consider Jewish settlements on the occupied Palestinian territories illegal, placing Washington in a position that contradicts UN Security Council resolutions and most countries in the world that consider settlements illegal.
The Psagot winery was at the center of a legal dispute, challenging a European decision requiring it to mark its products as coming from settlements on occupied lands, but his appeal was not successful.
Haaretz and Axios indicated that Psagot settlement subsequently launched a wine named Pompeo, in honor of the foreign minister's position.
In a tweet about Pompeo's visit, veteran American diplomat in the Middle East, Aaron David Miller, said that she would continue his career as the worst US secretary of state ever.
"It is not about Trump or Bibi policy, it is about Pompeo and the 2024 elections," he added.
Pompeo has never hidden his aspirations for a higher office, and has often indicated his support for Israel, which is a major issue for the Christian evangelical base of the Republican Party.
Pompeo supported Trump in his refusal to admit the loss of the presidential election, but Netanyahu congratulated Biden, who has a relationship with the Israeli leader for many years.