US Declaration on Israeli settlements an obstacle to peace

The declaration by the US administration that Israeli settlements in occupied territory are “not, per se, inconsistent with international law” is a new obstacle to peace in the Middle East.

The formal recognition of Jerusalem, a historical holy site for Jews, Muslims and Christians, as the capital of Israel by the United States in December 2017, had already undermined the prospects of a durable solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The US’ unilateral decisions, which ignore wider international consensus and international law, make the prospects for a peaceful solution to this longstanding conflict ever more distant.

This new declaration disregards the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, ratified by both the US and Israel, which stipulates that the Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies, and runs contrary to UN Security Council Resolutions adopted since 1979 declaring that the Israeli occupation has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.

Earlier this year, the Socialist International (SI) emphasised at a meeting in Ramallah on 30 July and in Tel Aviv on 31 July, including the participation of SI members from Palestine and Israel, its full support for the two-State solution for peace and a future of opportunities for the people of the Middle East. After more than 27 years of failing to achieve peace through the bilateral peace process since the Oslo Accords, the SI calls on the international community to collectively meet its responsibility under international law to bring an end to the occupation of Palestinian territory and to all impediments to the exercise by the Palestinian people of their right to self-determination.

 

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SI: US declaration on Israeli settlements an obstacle to peace

LONDON, Wednesday, November 20, 2019 (WAFA) -The declaration by the US administration that Israeli settlements in occupied territory are "not, per se, inconsistent with international law" is a new obstacle to peace in the Middle East, Socialist International (SI) said in a statement today.