DM Monitoring
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday it was up to Israel to decide whether to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to do despite international opposition.
Senior aides to US President Donald Trump met for a second day to discuss whether to give Mr Netanyahu the green light for annexation, which has drawn condemnation from the Palestinians, US Arab allies and other foreign governments. Despite that, Mr Pompeo speaking to reporters ahead of Netanyahu’s July 1 target date said extending Israeli sovereignty was a decision “for Israelis to make.”
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel to abandon plans to annex parts of the West Bank, warning this threatened prospects for peace with the Palestinians.
Under Mr Trump’s peace proposal unveiled in January and met with widespread skepticism, the US would recognise the Jewish settlements built on land the Palestinians seek for a state as part of Israel. The proposal would create a Palestinian state but impose strict conditions. Palestinian leaders have dismissed the initiative and it has gone nowhere. Palestinian protesters wave flags as Israeli troops take position during a protest against Jewish settlements in the West Bank village.
