Pompous ass Pompeo says theft is legal

[yankeedoodle]

US now considers Israeli settlements consistent with international law – Pompeo
https://www.rt.com/news/473741-us-israel-settlements-legal/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced a U-turn in policy toward Israeli settlements in the West Bank, declaring Washington no longer sees them as inconsistent with international law.

Pompeo said the US will no longer adhere to the 1978 State Department legal opinion on the settlements, and insisted that it would not lead to the US' isolation from the rest of the global community on the issue.

The US' top diplomat said the Trump administration will leave the status of the West Bank to Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate.

Pompeo said the decision came as a result of a "legal review" and was not intended to send any message, though the move is likely to anger the Palestinian side and human rights groups who have condemned the settlements and say they undermine peace efforts.

The Trump administration has been a staunch ally of Netanyahu's government and consistently taken Israel's side on major issues, calling into question Washington's ability to be a neutral arbiter in any peace process. In 2017, Trump recognized the contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moved the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. Last year, Trump recognized Israel's 1981 seizure of Syria's Golan Heights as legitimate.

Trump's critics have suggested he may be making his overtly pro-Israel moves in an effort to help Netanyahu hold on to power after inconclusive elections in September. The PM is clinging to power with Israeli politics in deadlock after both he and centrist rival Benny Gantz failed to cobble together a coalition government.

Reacting to Pompeo's announcement, Jordan's foreign minister Ayman Safadi warned that the policy switch would have "dangerous consequences" for the peace process. In a tweet, Safadi said the Israeli settlements were "a blatant violation" of international law and would kill a two-state solution. "Jordan's position in condemning [the settlements] is unwavering," he wrote.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also condemned the move, saying through a spokesman that Pompeo's statement "totally contradicts" international law and called on other nations to "declare their opposition."

The US embassy in Jerusalem issued a travel warning to Americans shortly after Pompeo's comments, warning those traveling through Jerusalem, the West Bank, or Gaza to maintain "a high level of vigilance" and to take "appropriate steps to increase their security awareness in light of the current environment."

The statement warned that individuals or groups opposed to the policy change may target US government facilities and US citizens.

[yankeedoodle]

Outrage erupts over Trump administration's 'legalization' of (still-illegal) Israeli settlements in West Bank
https://www.rt.com/news/473745-israeli-settlements-approved-trump-reactions/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

The US announcement that it will no longer view West Bank Israeli settlements as inconsistent with international law has provoked outrage in all corners of the globe, on humanitarian, legal, and common-sense grounds.

The Trump administration's controversial move on Monday reversed decades of US policy, contradicting numerous United Nations resolutions and international human rights conventions. In an effort to downplay the change, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the decision came as a result of a "legal review" of the State Department opinion on the settlements from 1978, but reactions exploded both domestically and internationally.

While most US politicians avoided immediately confronting the president on Israel – always a third-rail topic in Washington – Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders slammed Trump for "isolating the United States and undermining diplomacy by pandering to his extremist base" in a tweet.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini renewed calls for Israel to "end all settlement activity, in line with its obligations as an occupying power," following the announcement. An EU court ruled last week that all goods originating in Israeli settlements must be labeled as such.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi warned the move would have "dangerous consequences" on the possibility of peace in the Middle East.

Others pointed out that aiding and abetting a breach of international law made the US complicit in Israel's crimes. Amnesty International has deemed Israeli settlements in occupied territories a war crime.

"Trump can't wipe away with this announcement decades of established international law that Israeli settlements are a war crime," Human Rights Watch's Kenneth Roth tweeted, adding "Trump doesn't read, but we do," and pointing to Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Some commenters wondered at who the move was supposed to appeal to, since "US Jews massively reject Trump." A few mused whether this might be the straw that breaks the camel's back regarding a backlash against Israel.

Others merely snarked at the mushy headlines US media used to cover the announcement.

Much as Trump's decision to "recognize" the Israeli occupation of Syria's Golan Heights, the West Bank move may be a bid to shore up the crumbling position of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who still hasn't formed a government after two elections and multiple failed attempts to build a coalition. Pompeo, however, has denied the connection.

Of course, not everybody was upset – Israeli settler leaders stepped up calls for annexing the West Bank, a controversial campaign promise of Netanyahu's, while others demanded the territory be referred to by settlers' nomenclature – "Judea and Samaria" – seldom heard outside Israel.

[yankeedoodle]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL_JcqZbMA0