First such visit by a top ranking official is seen as a parting gift to NetanyahuMike Pompeo on Thursday paid the first visit by a U.S. Secretary of State to an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, in a parting show of solidarity with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the outgoing Trump administration. Palestinians accused Mr. Pompeo of helping Israel to cement its control over West Bank land that they seek for a State after he made a trip to the Shaar Binyamin winery near the settlement of Psagot, just north of Jerusalem. To Israel’s delight and Palestinian dismay, Mr. Pompeo in 2019 broke with decades of American foreign policy to announce that the U.S. under President Donald Trump no longer viewed Israel’s settlements as “inconsistent with international law”. After meeting with Mr. Netanyahu on Thursday morning Mr. Pompeo travelled to the West Bank to visit the settler winery, which has a blend named after him. Mr. Pompeo’s visit departed from past policy that had kept top U.S. officials away from settlements, which Palestinians view as obstacles to a viable future State.

Source: The Hindu November 19, 2020 18:56 UTC