Adalah responds to U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo’s statement on Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian West Bank

Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel stated in response to the announcement made today, 18 November 2019, by the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that “the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law”:

"The US administration's position on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank clearly violates international law. United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, passed in 2016, states that Israel’s settlement activity constitutes a “flagrant violation” of international law and has “no legal validity”, while the International Court of Justice, in its 2004 Advisory Opinion on the Wall concludes that the Israeli settlements have been established “in breach of international law,” including the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

“The US administration’s position on the settlements is a continuation of a series of positions taken since 2017, which violate international law including the recognition of Israeli sovereignty in the occupied Syrian territories on the Golan Heights, the move of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, and its statements on the status of UNRWA and the Palestinian refugees."