After Pompeo’s announcement that the US rejects the “illegal” status of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, Israeli right-wing leaders demand annexation.
By United with Israel Staff and AP
In light of the U.S. decision to revoke the illegal status of settlements in Judea and Samaria placed, some Israeli leaders are calling for the government to annex Judea and Samaria.
New Right party leader Ayelet Shaked tweeted, “The Jewish People have the legal & moral right to live in their ancient homeland.”
“Now is the time to apply our sovereignty to these communities,” she added.
“The Jewish People have the legal & moral right to live in their ancient homeland,” she added.
Binyamin Regional Council chairman Yisrael Gantz said, “Now is the time for the Israeli government to declare the application of Israeli laws in Judea and Samaria.”
Yehudit Katsoverm, leader of the pro-annexation “Sovereignty Movement,” said, “The sovereignty process continues to progress step by step as a just and moral act that will create regional stability and security. The Trump era is a historic opportunity for the Israeli government to promote its Zionist goals on to its historical mission.”
On Monday, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revoked a 1978 State Department opinion called the Hansell Memorandum, which claimed that civilian settlements in Judea and Samaria are “inconsistent with international law.”
According to Pompeo, the Trump administration concluded that the Hansell Memo represents a distraction and that any legal decision about the issue is appropriate for resolution by Israeli courts, according to a draft of Pompeo’s remarks obtained by the Associated Press.
“Calling the establishment of civilian settlements inconsistent with international law has not advanced the cause of peace,” Pompeo said. “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.”