In a statement to reporters on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Hafez reiterated Egypt’s position on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. “Egypt is committed to the resolutions of international legitimacy on the status of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, being illegal and inconsistent with the international law (sic),” the official said, according to State Information Service. Zaher’s comments to reporters came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s controversial declaration that Israeli settlements on internationally recognized Palestinian lands are consistent with international law. “Calling the establishment of civilian settlements inconsistent with international law has not advanced the cause of peace,” Pompeo said, according to The Guardian. “The hard truth is that there will never be a judicial resolution to the conflict, and arguments about who is right and who is wrong as a matter of international law will not bring peace.” Adding that the legality of each Israeli settlement should be ruled on by Israeli courts. Pompeo’s statement challenges a long held legal opinion by the State Department that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are “inconsistent with international law.” Shortly after Pompeo’s statement on Monday, EU Foreign…
Cairo Rejects Pompeo’s Statement Legalizing Israeli Settlements
November 19, 2019
