WASHINGTON: The new Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal and inconsistent with international law, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said, reversing a Trump-era policy.
Blinken, at a joint press conference with the Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino in Buenos Aires, said he was disappointed with Israel’s latest plans for settlement expansion.
“We have seen the reports, and I have to say we’re disappointed in the announcement. It’s been long-standing policy of the US under Republican and Democratic administrations alike that new settlements are counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace,” Blinken said in response to a question.
“They’re also inconsistent with international law. Our administration maintains a firm opposition to settlement expansion. And in our judgement, this only weakens it doesn’t strengthen Israel’s security,” said the top American diplomat.
The statement comes as the Biden administration’s latest shift away from the pro-Israel policies pursued by former President Donald Trump.
The Trump administration reversed the US policy to declare that settlements did not violate international law. In 2019, under Trump, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that “the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with international law.”
Blinken’s statement was defended by the White House in Washington DC.
“It’s been long-standing US policy under both Republican and Democratic administrations that new settlements are counterproductive to the cause of peace,” John Kirby, a White House spokesman, said.