Trump administration says Israel’s West Bank settlements do not violate international law

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared Monday that Israeli settlements in the West Bank do not violate international law.

Pompeo said the Trump administration, as it did with recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and Israel’s sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, had simply “recognized the reality on the ground.”

In remarks to reporters at the State Department, he said the administration was overturning actions taken late in the Obama administration, which for the first time declined to veto a United Nations resolution calling for the dismantlement of West Bank settlements.

Instead, Pompeo said, the administration said it was returning to policy under the administration of Ronald Reagan, who said he preferred the term “ill-advised” but whose 1983 peace plan said the United States would not support ongoing settlements, and that a freeze on them, “more than any other action,” would enhance talks between Israelis and Palestinians.