In response to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s remarks to a Jerusalem policy conference that “the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with international law” and remarks by Ambassador David Friedman that “the right of Israel to settle in Judea and Samaria is…obvious”, J Street’s Vice President of Government Affairs Dylan Williams issued the following statement:
“While the Trump administration continues its outrageous effort to legitimize the settlement movement and green-light Israeli annexation of the West Bank, Israeli leaders must understand that the extreme ‘Pompeo Doctrine’ does not represent the views of Congress or the long-term positions of the United States.
“Just last month, the House of Representatives passed Resolution 326, officially opposing unilateral Israeli annexation of the West Bank and asserting longstanding US opposition to settlements. Just a few weeks before, a letter signed by 106 members of Congress made clear that the Trump administration’s settlement policy has severely damaged prospects for peace and blatantly disregarded international law.
“While Pompeo and Friedman do all they can to promote the agenda of the Israeli far-right, their actions are only imperiling the long-term security of Israel, trampling on Palestinian rights and undermining the shared democratic values at the heart of the US-Israel relationship. ‘The Pompeo doctrine’ is a recipe for disaster — and Israelis should know that Congress and the next administration will take decisive steps to reverse it.”