The Arab League on Monday formally rejected a shift in the U.S. policy to no longer consider settlements in Israeli-occupied territory illegal. It said the move was a threat to peace and a flagrant violation of international law.
Meeting in a special session in Cairo, the Arab League said it considered the U.S. stance legally null and void that showed “unprecedented disdain for the international system”, according to Egyptian state news agency MENA.
The November 18 announcement by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reversed a stand taken under President Jimmy Carter in 1978. Palestinians and Arab leaders criticised the Trump administration’s move as the latest in a succession of pro-Israeli initiatives that were damaging to peace efforts.
“On which basis would the Palestinians negotiate with the Israelis if this occupation does not exist?” Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit stated on Monday.
Source: Reuters
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