I posted the following as a comment on an excellent story by AvoidAmnesia on Feb. 24: While Israel Announces Settlement Expansion, Blinken Reverses the Pompeo Rule-----------------------------From the Washington Post on Feb. 23:“Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, violence has grown exponentially on the West Bank, where there are now at least 700,000 Israeli settlers.”According to the United Nations, 399 Palestinians have been killed in conflict-related incidents across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including 102 children, and 4,545 Palestinians have been injured, including 702 children. During the same period, 13 Israelis, including four members of the Israeli military, were killed and 86 injured. In a press conference on Feb. 23, Blinken announced a reversal of the Trump administration’s position on Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Friday, saying they are “inconsistent with international law…..“Our administration maintains firm opposition to settlement expansion. Now, there are at least 146 settlements the Israeli government has authorized in the West Bank, not including East Jerusalem, along with 144 that are not officially recognized, according to Peace Now, an Israeli organization that advocates a two-state solution. www.washingtonpost.com/...?

Source: Washington Post February 24, 2024 19:30 UTC