US: Israeli settlements don't violate international law
The US has declared that the construction of settlements on the West Bank is not necessarily inconsistent with international law. A statement that further bolsters Benjamin Netanyahu's position after the US already recognised Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights and Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. Commentators fear the move will bury the peace process, and outline the steps the EU should take.
Another nail in the coffin of the two-state solution
With just a few words US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has clearly buried all hope of the best possible solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Avvenire laments:
“He has destroyed decades of American foreign policy which - at least since the Hansell Memorandum of 1978 - viewed Israel's 'colonies' as a problem that needed to be solved and not as Israel's inalienable right. ... What's more, Pompeo has put another nail in the coffin of the two-state solution, which is still the most reasonable attempt to solve the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. And he has shown how convinced the American government is that it can control the political forces in the Arab world, whose interest in the Palestinian cause is apparently only half-hearted.”
The EU must exert pressure
Europe now has a crucial role to play, Upsala Nya Tidning stresses:
“Hope lies with the EU. For the average, Europe-oriented Israeli, what the EU says is important. More important than what American right-wing Christians believe. Last week the European Court of Justice ruled that it must be made clear that goods from the occupied territories were produced there, and not simply 'Made in Israel'. The pressure must be maintained. Soon there could be new elections in Israel. With the extremists at the helm, any hope of a peaceful solution between Israel and Palestine would die.”
A Pyrrhic victory for Netanyahu
Gazeta Wyborcza believes the decision could prove fatal for Israel:
“It's a Pyrrhic victory. Trump gives the green light, but he won't send a convoy because the US is withdrawing from the Middle East. It's also highly likely that a future Democratic successor would pursue a radically different policy towards Israel. Israel may pay a high price for this support for Netanyahu. And it's not even clear whether it will secure him a victory: in the April elections, the equally illegal American recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights failed to secure him enough votes.”
Diverting attention from domestic problems
The conservative daily Karar criticises the US's decision:
“The US secretary of state is politely saying that the US no longer accepts universally applicable law, but only the law of the strongest. It won't come as a surprise if [Trump's] son-in-law Kushner presents a prepared plan. The current economic situation is particularly favourable for such fait accompli moves. Both Trump and Netanyahu are under pressure. Impeachment proceedings are under way in the US. In Israel, attempts to form a government are failing. New and creative solutions are needed to change the agenda and boost public support.”
Trump endangering international law
With its support for the settlement policy, the US is sending ominous signals far beyond the Middle East conflict, Politiken writes:
“With his irresponsible stance Trump is undermining one of the most important rules of international law: that territory must not be appropriated by force. If this rule is disregarded, the door will be opened to brutality and instability across the globe. For example it suddenly no longer seems clear why Russia's annexation of the Crimea should not be recognised. Why is it reprehensible for Russia to do something that Israel is allowed to do?”
Palestinians have never been this isolated
The chances of a Palestinian state have been reduced to a minimum, laments La Vanguardia:
“Never before have the Palestinians been left so alone and defenceless. After all, the US is the only country capable of influencing or persuading Israel. Donald Trump is not only refusing to temper the worst impulses of the unbreakable Netanyahu, he is actually encouraging them for various reasons. ... The isolation of the Palestinians is infinite. Their cause is losing ever more support on the international agenda - even from the Arab world - and their internal division is weakening them even further. The hopes of the Palestinians getting their own state are dwindling because there is only a limited amount of land. And with every day that passes less of it is available.”
No crocodile tears now, please
Kurier sees no major differences with the Middle East policies of previous US governments:
“What have previous US administrations ever done [for the two-state solution]? Where were steps taken against the unchecked construction of settlements in the occupied territories (except for an American abstention on the last relevant UN resolution)? Who in Washington slowed down Israel rather than merely looking on? And speaking of Europe: Where was its serious contribution to a Middle East solution? Donald Trump is a bull in the china shop of world politics. And now he's trampling through the Middle East. All for nothing. But the idea that others tried to create beautiful porcelain there is a fairy tale.”