Trump Plays Double Game, Approves Israeli Settlements On WestBank
Sudden waves of change are hitting the White House as Trump administration has now declared the Israeli settlements at the West Bank as legal. This is a landmark shift in decades of US policy which earlier considered them otherwise, under international law.
The new policy was announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department. While the news has garnered praise from Israelis and condemnation from Palestinians, European officials and rights groups are of the opinion that this move could hinder peace efforts.
Political analysts might be right in saying that Trump is now trying to do damage control over the mess surrounding his impeachment inquiry and might be trying to win brownie points after all from the world community.
There are also chances that Trump has done this for his close alley Netanyahu who had earlier vowed to annex the West Bank ahead of the elections. However, his efforts have hit a roadblock as he has not been able to form a government and his closest condentor Benny Gantz is closer to the same. Palestinians, meanwhile have washed their hands off Trump, terming him as a person ‘not interested in long term peace building efforts.
U.S. officials have confirmed that the policy shift would be followed with a policy-review process and wasn’t meant to affect Israel’s continuing efforts to form a new government after September’s elections. But the opposite is preempted.
Much of the international community, including the United Nations,considers all Israeli settlement activity to be illegal, and Palestinians cite it as a primary obstacle to peace.
Acknowledging that the U.S. stance could inflame tensions in the region, the U.S. embassy issued a security alert for Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza on Monday, advising U.S. citizens traveling in the areas “to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness in light of the current environment.”
While Pompeo added that this move does not legitimizes the idea of more settlements, there is no knowing whether it would fuel the opposite action after all. It is worth noting that as Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign-policy chief says, “European Union (EU) continues to consider all settlement activity illegal, and that such activity “erodes the viability of the two-state solution and the prospects for a lasting peace.” She has called on Israel to end all settlement activity
The new policy was announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department. While the news has garnered praise from Israelis and condemnation from Palestinians, European officials and rights groups are of the opinion that this move could hinder peace efforts.
Political analysts might be right in saying that Trump is now trying to do damage control over the mess surrounding his impeachment inquiry and might be trying to win brownie points after all from the world community.
There are also chances that Trump has done this for his close alley Netanyahu who had earlier vowed to annex the West Bank ahead of the elections. However, his efforts have hit a roadblock as he has not been able to form a government and his closest condentor Benny Gantz is closer to the same. Palestinians, meanwhile have washed their hands off Trump, terming him as a person ‘not interested in long term peace building efforts.
U.S. officials have confirmed that the policy shift would be followed with a policy-review process and wasn’t meant to affect Israel’s continuing efforts to form a new government after September’s elections. But the opposite is preempted.
Much of the international community, including the United Nations,considers all Israeli settlement activity to be illegal, and Palestinians cite it as a primary obstacle to peace.
Acknowledging that the U.S. stance could inflame tensions in the region, the U.S. embassy issued a security alert for Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza on Monday, advising U.S. citizens traveling in the areas “to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness in light of the current environment.”
While Pompeo added that this move does not legitimizes the idea of more settlements, there is no knowing whether it would fuel the opposite action after all. It is worth noting that as Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign-policy chief says, “European Union (EU) continues to consider all settlement activity illegal, and that such activity “erodes the viability of the two-state solution and the prospects for a lasting peace.” She has called on Israel to end all settlement activity
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