Netanyahu celebrates US settlement decision in West Bank
Associated Press
November 19, 2019
ALON SHVUT, West Bank Israel’s prime minister traveled to the West Bank on Tuesday to celebrate the U.S.’s announcement that it does not consider Israeli settlements to violate international law.
Benjamin Netanyahu called the Trump administration’s declaration, which stepped back from four decades of U.S. policy and reversed the policies of President Barack Obama, a “huge achievement” that “fixed a historic wrong.”
“I think it is a great day for the state of Israel and an achievement that will remain for decades,” he said.
Netanyahu spoke Tuesday at a gathering of ecstatic supporters and settler leaders in Alon Shvut, a settlement outside of Jerusalem.
Israeli right-wing leaders welcomed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s announcement. Although it is largely symbolic, it fueled calls from settler supporters for increased construction or even the annexation of parts of the West Bank.
The Palestinians, who claim the West Bank as part of a future state, condemned the decision. They and other countries said the move undercuts any chances of a broader peace deal.
Over 400,000 settlers now live in the West Bank, in addition to more than 200,000 settlers in east Jerusalem, the Palestinian’s hoped-for capital.
The Palestinians and the international community say that settlements are illegal and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. Israel says the fate of the settlements should be determined in negotiations.
The head of the Arab League joined the large number of critics, condemning the Trump administration’s latest decision “in the strongest terms.”
The league’s secretary-general, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said the decision would result in “more violence and cruelty” against the Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli settlers and “undermines any possibility” of achieving peace.
The White House says it has developed a Mideast peace plan, but it has not yet unveiled it. The Palestinians already have rejected the plan, accusing the U.S. of unfair bias in favor of Israel.
The Trump administration has made a number of moves in favor of Israel, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, recognizing Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights and shuttering the Palestinian diplomatic offices in Washington.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Some analysts believe Trump made this move, not to please the Israelis, but to satisfy the Evangelicals in his base.
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2020 Democratic challengers slam Trump stance on settlements
Israel Hayom
November 19, 2019
The Democratic Party came out strong against US President Donald Trump’s dramatic policy shift regarding Israeli settlements.
A spokesman for Joe Biden’s campaign told the Jewish Insider on Monday night that “this decision harms the cause of diplomacy, takes us further away from the hope of a two-state solution, and will only further inflame tensions in the region. It’s not about peace or security. It is not about being pro-Israel. It is about undercutting Israel’s future in service of Trump’s personal politics.”
His spokesman also echoed a chorus often heard within US President Obama’s administration: settlement expansion is an obstacle to peace.
Other candidates took to Twitter last night to express their chagrin.
Elizabeth Warren slammed the move saying it was, “another blatantly ideological attempt by the Trump administration to distract from its failures in the region. Not only do these settlements violate international law—they make peace harder to achieve. As president, I will reverse this policy and pursue a two state solution.”
Unsurprisingly, Bernie Sanders lamented the move as well, calling the settlements in “occupied” territory “illegal.”
“This is clear from international law and multiple United Nations resolutions. Once again, Mr. Trump is isolating the United States and undermining diplomacy by pandering to his extremist base,” he said.
His most popular surrogates, Freshman Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, too, blasted the announcement.
Omar called on “all who believe in the possibility of peace must speak up in this moment,” while Tlaib maintain trained that settlements are “illegal” “no matter what this corrupt and immoral Trump regime (yeah he is a lawless king-like dictator) say.”
Meanwhile, Pete Buttigieg said the move was a “step back” fostering peace and is just the latest in a “pattern of destructive decisions that harm our national interests.”
Similarly, Amy Klobuchar accused Trump of playing politics and taking Israel further from achieving a two-state solution.
Should the Democrats emerge triumphant in 2020, it remains to be seen which Israel-related initiatives led by Trump will dismantle.
While it’s unlikely they will move the embassy back to Tel Aviv or rescind recognition of the Golan Heights, former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro explained on Twitter that this move is “seen as a green light to encourage settlement expansion or annexation” and continues Trump's efforts to bury the two-state solution. That's a posture that a Dem administration, come January 2021, will reverse.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Fuck the fucking Democrats!
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