Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett announced on December 1 that it has approved plans to build a new Jewish settlement in the Palestinian city of Hebron on the West Bank. Erekat, secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee, issued a statement condemning the decision. He stated that the Israeli practice was a concrete result of the United States' denial of illegal Israeli settlements and called on the international community to sanction Israeli actions to build Jewish settlements.
Palestinian-Israeli conflict escalates further
In recent days, protests in the West Bank, including Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Hebron, have taken place in Palestine. Public opinion holds that the renewed tension between Palestine and Israel is related to the increasingly obvious "pull-out" of the United States. US Secretary of State Pompeo said at a news conference held by the US State Department on November 18 that the US government no longer regards Israel's construction of Jewish settlements on the West Bank as "incompatible with international law." Pompeo's statement changed the U.S. policy stance that lasted for more than 40 years, aroused opposition from all sides, and made the situation in the Middle East tense again.
The problem of Jewish settlements is one of the crux of the Palestinian-Israeli problem. Public opinion in the Middle East generally believes that the U.S.'s sudden "turn" on this issue is the third major reversal of the Middle East policy made by the U.S. government after recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and supporting Israel's annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights, and once again trampled on international law. The guidelines and the spirit of relevant UN resolutions have created new obstacles to the Middle East peace process.
The Israeli military issued a statement on November 30, saying that the Israeli army airstrikes a Palestinian Islamic Resistance (Hamas) military target in the northern Gaza Strip early in the morning. The statement said the move was in response to Israel being hit by a rocket from the Gaza Strip earlier in the day. On November 29, dozens of Palestinian youths marched to the border with Israel in the southeast of the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces opened fire on the crowd, killing one and injuring four. Hours after the incident, armed men in the Gaza Strip fired rockets at Israel.
On November 26, thousands of people in the West Bank region of Palestine held an "Angry Day" protest in protest against the recent "shift" in US government policy. Protesters went to Israeli checkpoints, threw stones at the checkpoints, and clashed with Israeli soldiers. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society says at least 77 protesters were injured by Israeli forces.
Palestinian President Abbas has criticized the U.S. government for recent denials of illegal Israeli Jewish settlements. He said that this statement encouraged Israel to perpetuate its occupation of the Palestinian territories, which proves that the United States does not qualify as a mediator on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. He called on the international community to refuse to recognize settlements illegally constructed by Israel.
U.S. "face change" criticized by all sides
On November 27th, the United Nations held a commemorative meeting of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People at its headquarters in New York. The United Nations reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the rights of the Palestinian people. Vioti de Guterres, director of the UN Secretary-General's Office, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Guterres said in his speech that the Israeli-Palestinian issue is one of the most difficult challenges facing the international community. Over the past year, no progress has been made in resolving this issue, and the situation has continued to deteriorate.
Guterres said the United Nations commitment to the Palestinian people will not waver. Jewish settlements built by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory have no legal effect and constitute a flagrant violation of international law. These actions have the potential to undermine the feasibility of establishing a Palestinian state in accordance with relevant UN resolutions.
The Security Council passed Resolution 2334 at the end of 2016, reaffirming that Israeli settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories "violate international law" and urge Israel to stop all settlement activities. Abu Rudina, a spokesman for the Palestinian Presidential Palace, stated that the US side's position was invalid and should be condemned, totally violating international law and UN Security Council Resolution 2334.
On November 25, the League of Arab States held an emergency foreign ministers' meeting in Cairo. At the meeting, the foreign ministers of Arab states pointed out that the US position on the Jewish settlements not only had a negative impact on the peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian issue, but also a violation of the norms of international law and relevant UN resolutions. The Arab League stated that in view of the erratic attitude of the United States on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the Arab League believes that "the United States is no longer suitable as a mediator of the Middle East peace process."
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the U.S. government has changed its position and no longer regards Israeli Jewish settlements on the West Bank as "incompatible with international law", and Russia is "very worried" about this. Russia believes that only through direct consultations between Israel and Palestine, and taking into account the interests of both Palestine and Israel and relevant decisions of the international community, can the long-term conflict in this region be resolved. The European Union also issued a statement saying that the European Union believes that Israeli settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory will damage the "two-state solution" and the prospects of peace between Israel and Palestine.
Middle East peace process clouded again
According to analysis, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has escalated recently, and people are worried that a new round of war in the Middle East will occur. The US position on Jewish settlements is like pouring fuel on the fire, which once again casts a shadow over the Middle East peace process.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Michael Link, said, "U.S. policy is not a step towards peace between Palestine and Israel. The decision of the US government to abandon international law is likely to completely destroy the two-state solution 'The final blow.' Link said that US behavior "abandoning international law" and international consensus would only lead to permanent occupation and apartheid.
The National Broadcasting Corporation analyzed that the U.S. government's position was a betrayal of the Palestinians and the end of the "two-state solution". It introduced the apartheid system into the West Bank and "they are killing the Palestinian-Israeli peace process."
CNN said this major policy shift by the US government could intensify US-Palestinian relations and deepen the rift between the United States and traditional European allies. The New York Times stated that US policy has cleared the way for Israel's annexation of Palestinian territory and could destroy peaceful efforts for the Palestinian issue.
Public opinion in the Middle East generally believes that the change in the US government's position on the issue of Jewish settlements is not conducive to peace between Palestine and Israel, nor is it conducive to US self-interest. Researcher of the National Planning Institute of Egypt, Hibb Jamal, told this reporter that the United States supports Israel in building Jewish settlements, a move that completely ignores existing international rules and international law. Jamal believes that the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may further intensify this and seriously threaten the regional security situation
Sign up here with your email
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon