US decision to recognise Israel settlements in disputed West Bank invites huge criticism

The United States move to recognise the Israel settlements in the disputed region of West Bank has invited huge criticism.

Last day, the US declared that the Israel settlements in the disputed West Bank were not inconsistent with the International Law. The declaration was the exact opposition of its original position on the matter. The controversial statement was delivered by United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The Israel government has welcomed the new stand adopted by the United States in the matter of the Israel settlements in the disputed West Bank.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opined that the US corrected one of its historic wrongs.

The US new stand is seen as the victory of Mr. Netanyahu, whose main campaign promise was the legalisation of all the disputed settlements like the one situated in the occupied West Bank.

The disputed West Bank is the part of the region annexed by Israel from Palestine during the 1967 war between the two countries.

Notably, the United Nations considers the settlements in the disputed West Bank as illegal. With the new decision, the US defies the position of the UN in the matter.

The Palestine government has strongly condemned the new position adopted by the US – which is one of the chief negotiators between Israel and Palestine.

A negotiator is supposed to take a neutral stand. What the US has lost through its new stand is the moral right to project itself as a true neutral negotiator.

Anyway, even though it remains unclear at this moment whether the new position will give any positional mileage to US President Donald Trump in the future, there is clarity in one thing that the decision is going to help the Israel president enormously.

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