20 nov 2019
International law experts agree that the US administration does not have the legal capacity to legalize settlements, and that the recent announcement by its secretary of state comes in response to the European Court of Justice’s decision to label settlement goods and the international consensus to renew the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced, yesterday, that his country no longer considers settlements in the occupied West Bank “inconsistent with international law.”
The lawyer and expert in international law, Salah Mousa, said that the Pompeo declaration is a political statement and does not have any legal impact, noting that the US has no right to change the legal facts.
He said the announcement came in response to the European Court of Justice, which ruled to label the goods from settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Mousa said that the US administration’s current position is just another one in its anti-Palestinian decision, namely recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving its embassy to it, ending financial support for the UNRWA and trying to end its mandate, and closing the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) office in Washington, which affirms that this administration does not give value to international law.
On how to confront these decisions, Mousa explained that the PLO should seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, open the file of settlements as a war crime, prosecute US companies dealing with settlements, and launch lawsuits by Palestinians holding American citizenship against the Israeli occupation and its companies in the American courts.
He called for continuing the diplomatic battle, in addition to taking unified Arab decisions and positions, and raising the Pompeo declaration and its repercussions in international forums.
For his part, international law expert Hanna Issa said the US is not authorized to act against international law and UN resolutions, especially those on the settlements.
In 1967, the United States recognized that the Palestinian territories in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, were occupied, and that the Hague and Geneva Conventions were applicable to them, he said.
The United States also voted for UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, which considered the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip as occupied territory, and therefore considered the settlements illegal.
Issa said that what Pompeo announced, on the settlements, does not reflect the opinion of the international community, pointing out that the countries of the world without exception, even US allies, consider the settlements illegal, not mentioning that the declaration violates international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
Justice Minister Mohammed Shalaldeh said that this declaration, which set a dangerous precedent, encourages violations of international law and UN resolutions, undermines efforts to achieve peace and increases tension, violence and instability in the region to a point that will threaten world peace and security.
He called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor to expedite the settlement complaint filed by the State of Palestine, taking into account the statements of the US Secretary of State and the approval of the US President to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem.
He recalled the overwhelming adoption by the UN Security Council in 2016 of resolution 2334 condemning settlements and calling for a halt to their construction in the occupied Palestinian territory, and which stressed that all states should not provide any assistance to Israel specifically if used in settlement activities.
The Minister of Justice said that the foreign policy of the United States completely contradicts with international law because of the clear breach of the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and at the same time it involves an encroachment on the UN.
He considered Pompeo’s declaration reminiscent of the Balfour Declaration, on the 102nd anniversary of the old promise, but this time by an American official.
“With that declaration, the United States becomes an accomplice in the crime of settlements with the occupying Power, and the International Criminal Court has the right to prosecute US officials for this decision, including President Trump and his Secretary of State,” he said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced, yesterday, that his country no longer considers settlements in the occupied West Bank “inconsistent with international law.”
The lawyer and expert in international law, Salah Mousa, said that the Pompeo declaration is a political statement and does not have any legal impact, noting that the US has no right to change the legal facts.
He said the announcement came in response to the European Court of Justice, which ruled to label the goods from settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Mousa said that the US administration’s current position is just another one in its anti-Palestinian decision, namely recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving its embassy to it, ending financial support for the UNRWA and trying to end its mandate, and closing the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) office in Washington, which affirms that this administration does not give value to international law.
On how to confront these decisions, Mousa explained that the PLO should seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, open the file of settlements as a war crime, prosecute US companies dealing with settlements, and launch lawsuits by Palestinians holding American citizenship against the Israeli occupation and its companies in the American courts.
He called for continuing the diplomatic battle, in addition to taking unified Arab decisions and positions, and raising the Pompeo declaration and its repercussions in international forums.
For his part, international law expert Hanna Issa said the US is not authorized to act against international law and UN resolutions, especially those on the settlements.
In 1967, the United States recognized that the Palestinian territories in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, were occupied, and that the Hague and Geneva Conventions were applicable to them, he said.
The United States also voted for UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, which considered the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip as occupied territory, and therefore considered the settlements illegal.
Issa said that what Pompeo announced, on the settlements, does not reflect the opinion of the international community, pointing out that the countries of the world without exception, even US allies, consider the settlements illegal, not mentioning that the declaration violates international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
Justice Minister Mohammed Shalaldeh said that this declaration, which set a dangerous precedent, encourages violations of international law and UN resolutions, undermines efforts to achieve peace and increases tension, violence and instability in the region to a point that will threaten world peace and security.
He called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor to expedite the settlement complaint filed by the State of Palestine, taking into account the statements of the US Secretary of State and the approval of the US President to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem.
He recalled the overwhelming adoption by the UN Security Council in 2016 of resolution 2334 condemning settlements and calling for a halt to their construction in the occupied Palestinian territory, and which stressed that all states should not provide any assistance to Israel specifically if used in settlement activities.
The Minister of Justice said that the foreign policy of the United States completely contradicts with international law because of the clear breach of the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and at the same time it involves an encroachment on the UN.
He considered Pompeo’s declaration reminiscent of the Balfour Declaration, on the 102nd anniversary of the old promise, but this time by an American official.
“With that declaration, the United States becomes an accomplice in the crime of settlements with the occupying Power, and the International Criminal Court has the right to prosecute US officials for this decision, including President Trump and his Secretary of State,” he said.
Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamed said the new US position on Israel’s settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory is an absurdity and encourages other nations to steal others’ lands.
Commenting on recent remarks by secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who announced that US president Donald Trump’s administration does not view Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal, Mahathir described such position as ridiculous and a blatant disregard for international laws and UN resolutions.
“We are no longer safe. If a country wants to enter our country and build settlements, that is legal. We cannot do anything,” he said in a statement released by his office on Tuesday.
The Malaysian premier also expressed fears that the timing of the Trump administration’s announcement would further embolden the Israeli forces, who recently went on a vicious killing spree in Gaza.
“You announce that their illegal settlements are not illegal at a time when they are conducting these unjustified attacks on Gaza… Isn’t it like encouraging them to continue to murder the children and civilians, and that they will not be punished?
“Instead, they will be rewarded with setting up settlements on the land of the people they had killed and murdered,” the premier said.
Commenting on recent remarks by secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who announced that US president Donald Trump’s administration does not view Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal, Mahathir described such position as ridiculous and a blatant disregard for international laws and UN resolutions.
“We are no longer safe. If a country wants to enter our country and build settlements, that is legal. We cannot do anything,” he said in a statement released by his office on Tuesday.
The Malaysian premier also expressed fears that the timing of the Trump administration’s announcement would further embolden the Israeli forces, who recently went on a vicious killing spree in Gaza.
“You announce that their illegal settlements are not illegal at a time when they are conducting these unjustified attacks on Gaza… Isn’t it like encouraging them to continue to murder the children and civilians, and that they will not be punished?
“Instead, they will be rewarded with setting up settlements on the land of the people they had killed and murdered,” the premier said.
Germany on Tuesday opposed the US announcement that it no longer considered Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories illegal.
A German foreign ministry spokeswoman said in a statement that her government never changed its position regarding the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories.
“The Federal Government views settlement-building activity as a violation of international law, which hampers prospects of a peace process and makes a negotiated two-state solution much more difficult,” the statement said.
Berlin pledged to continue its efforts, together with other EU partners, to find a mutually acceptable, negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which would address the legitimate concerns of both sides.
A German foreign ministry spokeswoman said in a statement that her government never changed its position regarding the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories.
“The Federal Government views settlement-building activity as a violation of international law, which hampers prospects of a peace process and makes a negotiated two-state solution much more difficult,” the statement said.
Berlin pledged to continue its efforts, together with other EU partners, to find a mutually acceptable, negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which would address the legitimate concerns of both sides.
After Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, made a statement Monday reversing decades of US policy, and contradicting international law, by saying that the US did not consider Israel’s colonial takeovers of Palestinian land to be illegal, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu approved a massive expansion of colonial settlements.
The bill approved Tuesday by the Israeli Prime Minister would authorize the Israeli annexation by military force of the Jordan Valley, home to tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of whom can trace their roots in that area back hundreds and thousands of years.
Netanyahu had campaigned in the recent election partly on a promise to annex the Jordan Valley, the most fertile region of the West Bank, into Israel.
When Pompeo made his statement Monday, Netanyahu heralded it as an ‘historic’ moment, and promptly moved forward with the Jordan Valley Annexation bill.
Though this bill had been introduced in the Knesset several weeks ago, it was subject to a mandatory waiting period before coming to a vote. Netanyahu, as Prime Minister, was able to ‘fast track’ the bill, which will now be voted on next week.
Because of the transition period in the Israeli government right now (Benny Gantz had received a majority of the votes in the September election, but has been thus far unable to muster the necessary coalition of parties to form a government), Knesset (Parliament) Member Haskel stated Tuesday that this is a “one time only chance” to pass the bill.
Pompeo’s Monday announcement was the third major policy shift toward Israel that the Trump administration has taken during his presidency – all of which have denied Palestinians their right to exist, their right to self-determination as people and their internationally-recognized right to return to land from which they were expelled by military force.
The first two were the moving of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and the recognition of the Golan Heights (a part of Syria that was taken over by Israel in the 1967 war and militarily occupied since then) as part of Israel.
Since its creation in 1948, Israel has never officially declared its borders, and has expanded its territory through military force in the 71 years since then. With each expansion, more Palestinians lose their homes and land and become refugees, forming what has become the largest refugee population on earth.
The Jordan Valley, home to the city of Jericho, lies just west of the Jordan River, and is an area of farmland and orchards – despite the salination and depletion of the river by Israel, it still provides a source of irrigation for farmers in the Jordan Valley. But with the passage of the bill, these indigenous Palestinian farmers and landowners will be subjected to military force and their property taken from them and turned into Israeli settlements.
A September report by Al Jazeera found that many Palestinian residents of Jordan Valley have already been impacted by Israeli colonization of their land and water.
“All our water sources are under Israeli control. We have very little drinking water let alone water for our crops,” Ahmad Atiyat, whose family moved to the area after they were evicted by the Israeli military from along the Jordan River in 1967, told Al Jazeera.
Hussein Saida, another farmer and member of the local municipality, agreed.
“We face ongoing challenges, especially when it comes to accessing our water wells and maintaining them to water our crops. Our water wells are under de facto Israeli control,” said Saida.
All Israeli settlements are considered to be in direct violation of international law.
The bill approved Tuesday by the Israeli Prime Minister would authorize the Israeli annexation by military force of the Jordan Valley, home to tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of whom can trace their roots in that area back hundreds and thousands of years.
Netanyahu had campaigned in the recent election partly on a promise to annex the Jordan Valley, the most fertile region of the West Bank, into Israel.
When Pompeo made his statement Monday, Netanyahu heralded it as an ‘historic’ moment, and promptly moved forward with the Jordan Valley Annexation bill.
Though this bill had been introduced in the Knesset several weeks ago, it was subject to a mandatory waiting period before coming to a vote. Netanyahu, as Prime Minister, was able to ‘fast track’ the bill, which will now be voted on next week.
Because of the transition period in the Israeli government right now (Benny Gantz had received a majority of the votes in the September election, but has been thus far unable to muster the necessary coalition of parties to form a government), Knesset (Parliament) Member Haskel stated Tuesday that this is a “one time only chance” to pass the bill.
Pompeo’s Monday announcement was the third major policy shift toward Israel that the Trump administration has taken during his presidency – all of which have denied Palestinians their right to exist, their right to self-determination as people and their internationally-recognized right to return to land from which they were expelled by military force.
The first two were the moving of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and the recognition of the Golan Heights (a part of Syria that was taken over by Israel in the 1967 war and militarily occupied since then) as part of Israel.
Since its creation in 1948, Israel has never officially declared its borders, and has expanded its territory through military force in the 71 years since then. With each expansion, more Palestinians lose their homes and land and become refugees, forming what has become the largest refugee population on earth.
The Jordan Valley, home to the city of Jericho, lies just west of the Jordan River, and is an area of farmland and orchards – despite the salination and depletion of the river by Israel, it still provides a source of irrigation for farmers in the Jordan Valley. But with the passage of the bill, these indigenous Palestinian farmers and landowners will be subjected to military force and their property taken from them and turned into Israeli settlements.
A September report by Al Jazeera found that many Palestinian residents of Jordan Valley have already been impacted by Israeli colonization of their land and water.
“All our water sources are under Israeli control. We have very little drinking water let alone water for our crops,” Ahmad Atiyat, whose family moved to the area after they were evicted by the Israeli military from along the Jordan River in 1967, told Al Jazeera.
Hussein Saida, another farmer and member of the local municipality, agreed.
“We face ongoing challenges, especially when it comes to accessing our water wells and maintaining them to water our crops. Our water wells are under de facto Israeli control,” said Saida.
All Israeli settlements are considered to be in direct violation of international law.
Amnesty International on Tuesday condemned an announcement by the United States that it will not consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal under international law.
This was voiced in a statement by the international organization in response to the decision which was announced by the United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on Monday.
"Today, the United States government announced to the rest of the world that it believes the US and Israel are above the law: that Israel can continue to violate international law and Palestinians' human rights and the US will firmly support it in doing so," Amnesty International said.
It added, "The US announcement does not and will not change the law which is crystal clear: the construction and maintenance of settlements in the Occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, breaches international law and amounts to war crimes."
The international community overwhelmingly considers the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories illegal, based on the Fourth Geneva Convention which stipulates that the occupying force is not allowed to transfer part of its own population to the territories it occupies.
This was voiced in a statement by the international organization in response to the decision which was announced by the United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on Monday.
"Today, the United States government announced to the rest of the world that it believes the US and Israel are above the law: that Israel can continue to violate international law and Palestinians' human rights and the US will firmly support it in doing so," Amnesty International said.
It added, "The US announcement does not and will not change the law which is crystal clear: the construction and maintenance of settlements in the Occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, breaches international law and amounts to war crimes."
The international community overwhelmingly considers the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories illegal, based on the Fourth Geneva Convention which stipulates that the occupying force is not allowed to transfer part of its own population to the territories it occupies.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns in the strictest terms the remarks made by the United States’ State Secretary, Mike Pompeo, on Israeli settlements, claiming that they are not in contrast with international law.
PCHR reiterates that settlements are a war crime under international law and United Nations resolutions and emphasizes that US statements cannot and do not change that fact.
PCHR Director, Raji Sourani, commented on Pompeo’s remarks, saying:
“The US is not the world’s moral authority on justice, it is a State that acts with impunity and in defiance to international law and should be the last to address legitimacy as it acts by the law of the jungle. The US political position is clearly in support of Israel, a country that occupies Palestinian territory, and supports the latter’s actions and violations against Palestinian people.”
US State Secretary had stated on Monday that “The establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law,” adding that “calling the establishment of civilian settlements inconsistent with international law hasn’t worked. It hasn’t advanced the cause of peace.”
This position by the US administration is in conflict with UN Security Council Resolution (UNSC) No. 2334 (2016), which passed with US abstinence, and reaffirmed in its first article that “… the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.”
This resolution came in line with a series of similar UNSC resolutions 446 (1979), 452 (1979), 465 (1980), 476 (1980), 478 (1980), 1397 (2002), 1515 (2003) and 1850 (2008).
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) had previously ruled, in its advisory opinion of 2004 on the Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, on the illegality of the annexation wall’s route through the oPt, basing its decision on the illegality of Israeli settlements asserted in the abovementioned UNSC resolutions.
PCHR asserts that settlements are a war crime, according to Article 8.b. viii of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), “The transfer, directly or indirectly, by the Occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies, or the deportation or transfer of all or parts of the population of the occupied territory within or outside this territory.”
The issue of settlements is one of the files under consideration by the ICC Prosecutor in the investigation the latter launched in January 2015. Meanwhile, the ICC is under direct threats from the current US administration, as the former US National Security Advisor, John Bolton, threatened on 09 September 2018 to sanction the ICC, its judges and Prosecutor if the court decides to open investigations against Israelis or Americans.
Secretary Pompeo’s statements, which amounts to being complicit with a war crime, are the cherry on top on a series of US decisions under President Donald Trump’s administration, which started with the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the decision to move the US embassy to Israel to Jerusalem on 06 December 2017, followed by many decisions that aimed at imposing facts on the ground in addition to political and economic practices to pressurize Palestinians to give up their right to self-determination on their lands.
PCHR underscores Palestinians’ right to self-determination their land and that settlements are, without a doubt, war crimes that no political statement can change international law to adapt with settlements. PCHR calls upon world countries that promote peace and the rule of law to set the record straight and refuse and condemn the statements by the US administration without hesitance.
Furthermore, PCHR repeats its request to ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, to open an investigation into Israeli settlements as a war crime under the ICC’s Rome Stature.
Additionally, PCHR highlights the need for international and regional organizations to renew their position upholding respect to the rule of law and the illegality of settlements, specifically the UN, European Union, Arab League, African Union and the Non-Alignment Movement.
Upon the continued US administration challenges to international law and protection it bestows upon Israel at UNSC, PCHR calls upon the UN General Assembly’s power under the “Uniting for Peace” resolution, to intervene immediately to protect international peace and address the reckless behaviour of the US administration and Israel towards international law and UN resolutions.
Public Document
**************************************
Follow PCHR on Facebook and Twitter
For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893
Gaza- Jamal ‘Abdel Nasser “al-Thalathini” Street – Al-Roya Building- Floor 12 , El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: [email protected], Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
PCHR reiterates that settlements are a war crime under international law and United Nations resolutions and emphasizes that US statements cannot and do not change that fact.
PCHR Director, Raji Sourani, commented on Pompeo’s remarks, saying:
“The US is not the world’s moral authority on justice, it is a State that acts with impunity and in defiance to international law and should be the last to address legitimacy as it acts by the law of the jungle. The US political position is clearly in support of Israel, a country that occupies Palestinian territory, and supports the latter’s actions and violations against Palestinian people.”
US State Secretary had stated on Monday that “The establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law,” adding that “calling the establishment of civilian settlements inconsistent with international law hasn’t worked. It hasn’t advanced the cause of peace.”
This position by the US administration is in conflict with UN Security Council Resolution (UNSC) No. 2334 (2016), which passed with US abstinence, and reaffirmed in its first article that “… the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.”
This resolution came in line with a series of similar UNSC resolutions 446 (1979), 452 (1979), 465 (1980), 476 (1980), 478 (1980), 1397 (2002), 1515 (2003) and 1850 (2008).
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) had previously ruled, in its advisory opinion of 2004 on the Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, on the illegality of the annexation wall’s route through the oPt, basing its decision on the illegality of Israeli settlements asserted in the abovementioned UNSC resolutions.
PCHR asserts that settlements are a war crime, according to Article 8.b. viii of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), “The transfer, directly or indirectly, by the Occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies, or the deportation or transfer of all or parts of the population of the occupied territory within or outside this territory.”
The issue of settlements is one of the files under consideration by the ICC Prosecutor in the investigation the latter launched in January 2015. Meanwhile, the ICC is under direct threats from the current US administration, as the former US National Security Advisor, John Bolton, threatened on 09 September 2018 to sanction the ICC, its judges and Prosecutor if the court decides to open investigations against Israelis or Americans.
Secretary Pompeo’s statements, which amounts to being complicit with a war crime, are the cherry on top on a series of US decisions under President Donald Trump’s administration, which started with the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the decision to move the US embassy to Israel to Jerusalem on 06 December 2017, followed by many decisions that aimed at imposing facts on the ground in addition to political and economic practices to pressurize Palestinians to give up their right to self-determination on their lands.
PCHR underscores Palestinians’ right to self-determination their land and that settlements are, without a doubt, war crimes that no political statement can change international law to adapt with settlements. PCHR calls upon world countries that promote peace and the rule of law to set the record straight and refuse and condemn the statements by the US administration without hesitance.
Furthermore, PCHR repeats its request to ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, to open an investigation into Israeli settlements as a war crime under the ICC’s Rome Stature.
Additionally, PCHR highlights the need for international and regional organizations to renew their position upholding respect to the rule of law and the illegality of settlements, specifically the UN, European Union, Arab League, African Union and the Non-Alignment Movement.
Upon the continued US administration challenges to international law and protection it bestows upon Israel at UNSC, PCHR calls upon the UN General Assembly’s power under the “Uniting for Peace” resolution, to intervene immediately to protect international peace and address the reckless behaviour of the US administration and Israel towards international law and UN resolutions.
Public Document
**************************************
Follow PCHR on Facebook and Twitter
For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893
Gaza- Jamal ‘Abdel Nasser “al-Thalathini” Street – Al-Roya Building- Floor 12 , El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: [email protected], Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
An illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank is pictured on 19 November
by Gina Dowding
The US decision to reverse its stance on Israeli settlements after more than 40 years of policymaking consensus flies in the face of the international community’s condemnation of the illegal occupation of Palestine, and of its efforts to resolve the most intractable conflict of our time.
Having visited the region as an 18-year-old, I spent some time on a kibbutz in the Negev desert - an amazing, affirming experience. It was not until several years later that I learned of the wider, more insidious implications of the Israeli nation state.
Turning a blind eye
This summer, I joined a delegation to the region, arranged by Danish and Norwegian church groups, with a focus on the occupied West Bank. It provided broad insights into the increasing daily hardships and widespread oppression faced by Palestinians living there.
Our delegation was given brief, but informative access to a variety of organisations and perspectives. These ranged from international agencies, such as the humanitarian branch of the United Nations; to local non-governmental organisations and civil society movements, such as Breaking the Silence; to Israeli political groups, including a politician from the Blue and White alliance and a representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Most importantly, we met members of communities severely impacted by the Israeli occupation, including urban Palestinian families facing forced eviction from their homes in occupied East Jerusalem, and the Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar, whose members continue to fight relentless attempts to demolish their village.
There is no clear or straightforward path to even begin mapping out a credible peace process. But we, the international community, cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the illegal, dehumanising and worsening occupation of the West Bank and the blockade of Gaza, a perennial obstacle to peace.
Flagrant violation
So, when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced this week that the establishment of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories is not “inconsistent with international law”, the peace process came under even greater threat.
Any credibility the US had left in the region as an arbiter - which took a massive hit after President Donald Trump unilaterally declared Jerusalem, half of which remains illegally occupied, as the new capital of Israel - continues to rapidly disintegrate.
Settlements are a flagrant violation of international law and have been repeatedly condemned by the UN, as well as by a host of local, regional and international actors, including the European Union. Decades of UN resolutions have aimed to address the conflict, with Israel facing more condemnation at the UN in 2018 than every other country in the world combined.
Those resolutions should be implemented, yet they are continuously ignored by Israel, making multilateral efforts for progression towards a two-state solution nearly impossible.
Pervasive settlement-building on Palestinian land has allowed entire villages to be surrounded by Israeli outposts, preventing access to land and water, depleting resources, and denying freedom of movement to Palestinian communities whose everyday existence is controlled by Israel.
In 2016, the UN Security Council reaffirmed that Israel’s settlements had no legal standing, “constituting a flagrant violation under international law”. It recognised that the rapid development of settlements jeopardised the chances of two states living side by side in peace, as further encroachments onto Palestinian land damaged the viability of an independent Palestinian state.
The abyss of conflict
The latest decision by the Trump administration will only further fuel tensions in the region, and undermine efforts by the international community to bring Israel to the negotiating table to foster a fair and lasting settlement for the Palestinian people.
This shift in US policy threatens the human rights of Palestinians. They have been besieged in Gaza for years, face institutional discrimination throughout Israel and the occupied territories, continue to suffer mass displacement, and lack any control over their own lives and futures under Israeli rule.
Peace in the region feels very far away, yet we must double-down on our efforts to take negotiations to the next level.
The decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestine is fuelling a humanitarian crisis that continues to threaten millions of people, pushing the region ever further into the abyss of conflict. Now is the time for the international community to hold Israel to account, instead of further emboldening its lawlessness.
Gina Dowding
Gina Dowding is a Member of European Parliament for North West England since July 2019, and a member of the Foreign Affairs, Transport, and Industry, Research and Energy committees. She is also active in the parliamentary delegations to Israel and Palestine, and visited the region including the occupied territories in August 2019 as part of a study visit organised by civil society organisations.
by Gina Dowding
The US decision to reverse its stance on Israeli settlements after more than 40 years of policymaking consensus flies in the face of the international community’s condemnation of the illegal occupation of Palestine, and of its efforts to resolve the most intractable conflict of our time.
Having visited the region as an 18-year-old, I spent some time on a kibbutz in the Negev desert - an amazing, affirming experience. It was not until several years later that I learned of the wider, more insidious implications of the Israeli nation state.
Turning a blind eye
This summer, I joined a delegation to the region, arranged by Danish and Norwegian church groups, with a focus on the occupied West Bank. It provided broad insights into the increasing daily hardships and widespread oppression faced by Palestinians living there.
Our delegation was given brief, but informative access to a variety of organisations and perspectives. These ranged from international agencies, such as the humanitarian branch of the United Nations; to local non-governmental organisations and civil society movements, such as Breaking the Silence; to Israeli political groups, including a politician from the Blue and White alliance and a representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Most importantly, we met members of communities severely impacted by the Israeli occupation, including urban Palestinian families facing forced eviction from their homes in occupied East Jerusalem, and the Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar, whose members continue to fight relentless attempts to demolish their village.
There is no clear or straightforward path to even begin mapping out a credible peace process. But we, the international community, cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the illegal, dehumanising and worsening occupation of the West Bank and the blockade of Gaza, a perennial obstacle to peace.
Flagrant violation
So, when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced this week that the establishment of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories is not “inconsistent with international law”, the peace process came under even greater threat.
Any credibility the US had left in the region as an arbiter - which took a massive hit after President Donald Trump unilaterally declared Jerusalem, half of which remains illegally occupied, as the new capital of Israel - continues to rapidly disintegrate.
Settlements are a flagrant violation of international law and have been repeatedly condemned by the UN, as well as by a host of local, regional and international actors, including the European Union. Decades of UN resolutions have aimed to address the conflict, with Israel facing more condemnation at the UN in 2018 than every other country in the world combined.
Those resolutions should be implemented, yet they are continuously ignored by Israel, making multilateral efforts for progression towards a two-state solution nearly impossible.
Pervasive settlement-building on Palestinian land has allowed entire villages to be surrounded by Israeli outposts, preventing access to land and water, depleting resources, and denying freedom of movement to Palestinian communities whose everyday existence is controlled by Israel.
In 2016, the UN Security Council reaffirmed that Israel’s settlements had no legal standing, “constituting a flagrant violation under international law”. It recognised that the rapid development of settlements jeopardised the chances of two states living side by side in peace, as further encroachments onto Palestinian land damaged the viability of an independent Palestinian state.
The abyss of conflict
The latest decision by the Trump administration will only further fuel tensions in the region, and undermine efforts by the international community to bring Israel to the negotiating table to foster a fair and lasting settlement for the Palestinian people.
This shift in US policy threatens the human rights of Palestinians. They have been besieged in Gaza for years, face institutional discrimination throughout Israel and the occupied territories, continue to suffer mass displacement, and lack any control over their own lives and futures under Israeli rule.
Peace in the region feels very far away, yet we must double-down on our efforts to take negotiations to the next level.
The decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestine is fuelling a humanitarian crisis that continues to threaten millions of people, pushing the region ever further into the abyss of conflict. Now is the time for the international community to hold Israel to account, instead of further emboldening its lawlessness.
Gina Dowding
Gina Dowding is a Member of European Parliament for North West England since July 2019, and a member of the Foreign Affairs, Transport, and Industry, Research and Energy committees. She is also active in the parliamentary delegations to Israel and Palestine, and visited the region including the occupied territories in August 2019 as part of a study visit organised by civil society organisations.
Page: 46 - 45 - 44 - 43 - 42 - 41 - 40 - 39 - 38 - 37 - 36 - 35 - 34 - 33 - 32 - 31 - 30 - 29 - 28 - 27 - 26 - 25
