US says it is for Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate status of West Bank.
The United States has changed its long-standing position on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian Territories.
The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the Trump administration no longer considers them illegal under international law. Pompeo added that the status of the West Bank is for Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate.
Settlements built on land occupied by Israel since the 1967 war have long been a contentious issue between Israel and the Palestinians. Countless UN resolutions have condemned the settlements as illegal.
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netenyahu said the move by the US “rights a historic wrong”. The Palestinian Authority said the new American position is “completely against international law”.
