Israel’s plan to build over 4,000 new settler homes in the West Bank prompted European countries to voice their concerns about the move and its effect on stability in the region.
France, Germany, Britain, Italy, and Spain issued a joint statement that called the expansion of settlements a violation of “international law and further imperils the viability of a two-state solution to bring about a just and lasting peace to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” according to Reuters.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel’s recent pact with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain did not mention settlements. AntiWar.com reported that Israel will develop 12,159 settler homes this year, which is a record.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi called the move “a violation of international law… illegitimate steps that undermine the two-state solution and the chances of achieving a comprehensive peace,” according to the Times of Israel. “A clear international position to reject these [homes] and put pressure to block them is necessary to protect peace and protect international law.”
TRENDPOST: Israel is not criticized in the U.S. by the establishment political parties and the mainstream media.
And, since Donald Trump became president, he has taken measures to increase U.S. support for Israel. Among them, unilaterally pulling the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal.
On the campaign trail in Iowa, President Trump said, “I withdrew from the last administration’s disastrous Iran nuclear catastrophe, $150 billion, $1.8 billion in cash for nothing. That deal’s practically expiring now, anyway, if we didn’t terminate it.”
Also, in May of 2018, President Trump moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which was widely condemned by world leaders.
The Times of Israel wrote:
“European foreign ministries on Monday slammed the US decision to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, saying it violates international law, is unwise and is likely to exacerbate tensions, shortly before the embassy’s dedication ceremony began in Jerusalem.
Turkey’s foreign ministry called the action ‘null and void’ and ‘illegitimate.’
‘We strongly condemn the decision… violating international law and all relevant UN resolutions,’ it said in a statement. ‘We reiterate that this action is legally null and void. We emphasize that such a step which disregards the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people will not serve peace, security and stability in the region.’” — 14 May 2018
On the campaign trail in North Carolina, President Trump told the crowd, “The fact is, we don’t have to be in the Middle East other than we want to protect Israel. We’ve been very good to Israel. But other than that, we don’t have to be in the Middle East… There was a time we needed [oil] desperately, we don’t need that anymore. We have more than they do, isn’t that nice?”
In addition, Trump declared that the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in 1967’s Six-Day War and has since occupied, now belongs to Israel.
Yet, despite President Trump’s strong pro-Israel stance, it is reported he is expected to get only 27 percent of the Jewish vote.