EU holds firm on West Bank settlements as US eases stance

Source: Politico

By ZOYA SHEFTALOVICH 11/19/19, 9:16 AM CET Updated 11/19/19, 3:07 PM CET

The EU's position on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank has not changed, the bloc's foreign policy chief said on Monday, after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the Trump administration would ease its stance toward Israel.

Federica Mogherini, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, said in a statement: “The European Union’s position on Israeli settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territory is clear and remains unchanged: all settlement activity is illegal under international law and it erodes the viability of the two-state solution and the prospects for a lasting peace.”

Mogherini continued: "The EU calls on Israel to end all settlement activity, in line with its obligations as an occupying power," adding that the bloc "will continue to support a resumption of a meaningful process towards a negotiated two-state solution, the only realistic and viable way to fulfill the legitimate aspirations of both parties."

The EU's statement came after Pompeo said the U.S. was rejecting a 1978 State Department legal opinion that called Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank “inconsistent with international law.”

Read more: https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-holds-firm-on-west-bank-settlements-as-us-eases-stance/

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Don't party too hearty, Bibi!