Yesha Council Chief Foreign Envoy Oded Revivi welcomed the Trump Administration's admission that Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are not in violation of international law, saying: "The Time has come to use both Political and Legal Platforms to Apply Israeli Law in Judea and Samaria".
Following the announcement by the U.S. Secretary of State this evening that the U.S. does not view settlements as operating in contravention of international law, Revivi thanked the U.S. for the move and urged the Israeli government to apply Israeli law immediately in Judea and Samaria. "I congratulate President Trump and his government on the truly courageous recognition, settlements are not a crime and not a barrier to peace. Ambassador David Friedman clarified the reality of the situation and the legal status of Judea and Samaria. Now is the time to take action utilizing our political and legal platforms to apply Israeli law," Revivi concluded.
Addressing reporters at a press conference Monday, Pompeo said: "The Trump Administration is reversing the Obama Administration's towards Israeli settlements. US public statements on settlement activities in the West Bank have been inconsistent over decades."
"In 1978, the Carter Administration categorically concluded that Israel's establishment of civilian settlements was inconsistent with international law. However, in 1981, President Reagan disagreed with that conclusion and stated that he didn't believe that the settlements were inherently illegal. Subsequent administrations recognized that unrestrained settlement activity could be an obstacle to peace, but they wisely and prudently recognized that dwelling on ;legal positions didn't advance peace," Pompeo explained.
He accused former US Secretary of State John Kerry of changing "decades of this careful, bipartisan approach by publicly reaffirming the supposed illegality of settlements" in December 2016, at the end of the Obama Administration.
"After carefully studying all sides of the legal debate, this administration agrees with President Reagan," Pompeo declared. "The establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per say, inconsistent with international law."