World powers oppose Washington at UN

shaheennews

– The United States on Wednesday defended its position at the United Nations against the European Union and other world powers’ opposition to the Trump administration’s declaration that it no longer considers Israeli settlements to be in violation of international law.

Monday’s announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reversed a four-decade-old U.S. position on Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The announcement was welcomed by Israel but brought Arab and foreign condemnation.

At the UN, the U.S. policy shift came under fire from the EU and an array of Security Council members, including Russia and China.

“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,” British Ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce told reporters before the meeting. She spoke on behalf of Germany, France, Poland, Belgium and Britain, the EU’s current Security Council members.

Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the UN Cherith Norman Chalet reiterated the new American position on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying they are “not, per se, inconsistent with international law.”

Chalet added the United States “remains committed to the cause of peace, and Monday’s announcement does not alter this fact.”

//Petra//