Palestinians outraged over US endorsement of Israeli settlements

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Palestinians living across the globe have voiced their outrage and opposition to the bombshell US announcement on Monday that it would no longer consider Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal, as they are considered under international law.

Palestinian protesters hold weekly demonstrations in the West Bank village of Kfar Qaddum against Israeli expropriation of their land to make way for homes for settlers. (Photo: AFP/Jaafar Ashtiyeh)

Many were quick to point out the Trump administration’s latest pro-Israel move does not change how the occupation is viewed internationally.

“No matter what the US says, Palestine is still occupied, settlements are still illegal and Palestinians continue to live under brutal Israeli occupation,” tweeted Diana Buttu, a Palestinian-Canadian lawyer and a former spokesperson for the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).

Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib also shared a similar sentiment: “Israel’s settlements in the West Bank violate international law. No matter what this corrupt and immoral Trump regime (yeah he is a lawless king-like dictator) [says], it doesn’t change that fact,” she tweeted.

Others addressed the bleak implications that Secretary of State Pompeo’s remarks mean for the future of the occupation, in other words, large-scale settlement expansion and annexation.


“This is another Trump gift to Netanyahu and a green light to Israeli leaders to put settlement building further into overdrive and advance formal annexation,” said Palestinian-American analyst Yousef Munayyer on Twitter.

Gaza-based activist Omar Ghraieb half-joked, half-lamented: “So the US decided to rewrite international law? What’s next? Rape becomes legal? The world should be scared.”

“We all saw this coming, not for years, but for decades. Each US administration has pandered to Israel on settlements and delivered the message that ‘might is right’,” tweeted Buttu.

Palestinian-American lawyer and activist Noura Erakat claimed Pompeo’s announcement was consistent with five decades of US policy.

“Making it about Trump is self-exculpatory and a continuation of violence. Trump is not the rupture, he’s the culmination of US policy,” she argued.

Some struck a more positive note, using the statement to galvanise resistance to the move and the occupation more widely.

“The reaction of the International community must be proportional to the danger of Trump decision,” tweeted Hebron-based activist Issa Amro. “We must go to the ICC, Ban the settlements from all countries, describe what is happening as a apartheid.””We should not give up,” he added.

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5 responses to “Palestinians outraged over US endorsement of Israeli settlements”

  1. Hind Abyad Avatar

    Mike Pompeo planning to resign because Trump ‘hurting his reputation’, report claims
    Conrad Duncan,
    The Independent•November 20, 2019
    https://news.yahoo.com/mike-pompeo-planning-resign-because-093230187.html?soc_src=hl-viewer&soc_trk=tw

  2. Hind Abyad Avatar

    To all those who believe the hit against #Syria was “devastating,” I’ll share an insight: netanyahu informed Russia about the hit and the specific targets 12 hours before.
    All buildings were abandoned, including the “Iranian targets”. Those killed were Syrian guards.

    1. At least 16 people were killed and dozens injured as a result of a missile attack on a refugee camp located near the city of Ka in the north of Idlib province, in the immediate vicinity of the Turkish border. Most of the victims are women and children.

      According to The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Bashar al-Assad regime is responsible for shelling the territory controlled by pro-Turkish groups. According to information from Syria, the missiles were equipped with cluster munitions.

      “The blow caused a powerful fire. Many tents burned down, huge damage was done. Many burnt bodies, mostly children. After the blow, thousands of people fled from the camp in a panic,” eyewitnesses told CNN.

      The Syrian-American Medical Society reported that two rockets exploded 25 meters from the camp’s children’s hospital. The institution suffered damage, patients and their parents were evacuated to a safe place.

      The hospital’s coordinates are located in a UN-created database designed to prevent such attacks. Access to it has the state operating in the airspace of Syria. Earlier, Russia was accused of using data for the planned bombing of medical facilities http://www.syriahr.com/?p=347473&fbclid=IwAR2KYLXDIOb2vPwPNNRn23QdQ_9EERSyQTMbhTrz8XXABMCzUHD9RGiwEOw

      1. Hind Abyad Avatar

        “http://www.syriahr.com/?p=3…Jihadis terrorists Christian killers.”

        The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) is The Syrian opposition:
        https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/12/syrian-opposition-doing-the-talking

  3. Hind Abyad Avatar

    “Netanyahu Charged With Bribery, Fraud and Breach of Trust, Capping a Dramatic Political Year
    Netanyahu becomes first sitting prime minister in Israel’s history to be charged with bribery, in case involving quid-pro-quo with telecom tycoon”
    https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/netanyahu-charged-bribery-fraud-corruption-israel-election-1.8137771

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