
Briefing: Olive Harvest – a time of fear and danger
October 15, 2020
Six-Month Report on Demolitions and Seizures in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem
November 23, 2020The Mission of the State of Palestine would like to draw your attention to this weeks visit to illegal settlements by Mike Pompeo, the Trump administration State Secretary.
The Palestinian Presidency condemned the visit, saying
“Israel is trying to benefit from the unlimited support of the current US administration, which has provided it with all possible support for the sake of settlement expansion and the takeover of more Palestinian lands”
“This announcement means that this American administration has become a fundamental partner in the occupation of the Palestinian lands. Neither this visit nor any US support for Israeli settlements in Palestinian lands can give legitimacy to the settlements or change the fact that they are doomed to end.”
The visit to the settlements, which are illegal under international law, is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to legitimise the Israeli colonial project.
The settlements in question are Psagot, built on lands of Jabal Al Taweel in the city of Al-Bireh, as well as the Christian pilgrimage Baptism Site on the Jordan River. Both sites are located within the internationally recognized boundaries of the State of Palestine. The Palestinian families who were dispossessed are protesting the visit.
Currently, 690,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied Palestinian territory. In coordination with the Israeli occupying forces, these settlers implement their government’s policies by illegally exploiting Palestinian lands and natural resources.
The manufacturing of goods in illegal Israeli settlements is also a violation of international law. According to international humanitarian law, such a practice constitutes a breach of Israel’s obligations as an occupying power and its duty as a “usufructuary.” This also violates Palestine’s universally recognized right of sovereignty over its natural resources. The occupying power’s exploitation of the occupied territory’s natural resources also contradicts the UN Guiding Principles on Businesses and Human Rights. It helps perpetuate the denial of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian to self-determination.
The international community have a range of measures at their disposal which would introduce consequences to the occupying power for breaches of their obligations under international law. The time has long since passed for words.