US secretary of state Mike Pompeo announced on
18 November that his country no longer recognises Israeli West
Bank settlements as being in breach of international law. And while
the move may benefit Trump domestically, ultimately, it harms the
beleaguered Palestinian people.
The Israeli state's establishment of settlements in
Palestinian territory that's been occupied since the 1967 Six
Day War, involves increasing encroachments upon land where
Indigenous communities live. And it's recognised that this
program directly breaches the
Fourth Geneva Convention.
Despite international condemnation, the Netanyahu regime last
year passed the controversial
Nation-State Law, which actively promotes further expansion of
these settlements. And this legislation also legitimised
Israel's apartheid system, officially recognising Palestinians
as second-class citizens.
