PA Foreign Ministry: US saying the settlements are legal is “antisemitic”

Headline: “The [PA] Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Pompeo’s statements are antisemitic”

“The [PA] Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the statements made by [US President Donald] Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who [on Dec. 16, 2019] again emphasized his ominous declaration that he made on Nov. 18 [2019] regarding the legality of [Israeli] settlement(see note below –Ed.) and viewed it as a correct decision…The ministry said that it considers these statements antisemitic, since denial of the Palestinians’ existence on and right to this land is in itself Antisemitism and a denial of a truth that has been undisputed for thousands of years.This is in addition tothe racial and fascist level reflected by these statements that are wrapped in an Evangelist-Missionary worldview negating the right of the other,regardless of how stable, undisputed, clear, and extant it is.”

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the US administration’s new position on Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Nov. 18, 2019, stating that: "After carefully studying all sides of the legal debate... the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with international law."

On Dec. 16, 2019, Pompeo responded to a letter signed by 106 Democratic congressmen demanding that the Trump administration retract the declaration. In response to their assertions that the declaration reverses “decades of bipartisan US policy on Israeli settlements” and “blatantly disregards Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention,” Pompeo wrote: “While I appreciate your interest in this important issue, I could not disagree more with those two foolish positions.” He pointed out that only the Carter and Obama administrations considered the settlements illegal according to international law, and that the Reagan administration reversed the Carter-era decision on the matter.