Login With Google
U.S. says Israeli settlements no longer considered illegal
Why is it in news?
- The Trump administration on November 18 said it no longer considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be a violation of international law.
More in news
- Change in stand:
(1) The decision reverses four decades of American policy and further undermines the Palestinians’ effort to gain statehood.
(2) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the S. is repudiating the 1978 State Department legal opinion that held that civilian settlements in the occupied territories are consistent with international law.
(3) Pompeo told reporters at the State Department that the Trump administration believes any legal questions about settlements should be resolved by Israeli courts
(4) The change reflects the administration’s embrace of a hard-line Israeli view at the expense of the Palestinian quest for statehood.
- What does this decision mean?
(1) Even though the decision is largely symbolic, it could give a boost to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is fighting for his political survival after failing to form a coalition government following recent elections.
(2) It could also spell further trouble for the administration peace plan, which is unlikely to gather much international support by endorsing a position contrary to the global consensus.
- Hansell Memorandum
(1) The 1978 legal opinion on settlements is known as the Hansell Memorandum.
(2) It had been the basis for more than 40 years of carefully worded U.S. opposition to settlement construction that had varied in its tone and strength, depending on the president position.
(3) The international community overwhelmingly considers the settlements illegal based in part on the Fourth Geneva Convention, which bars an occupying power from transferring parts of its own civilian population to occupied territory.
Source
The Hindu