More than 135 members of the US Congress on Friday signed a petition calling on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to reverse his decision to view settlements in the West Bank as not in contravention of international law. Condemning this resolution.
The signatories of the petition said the decision "undermines the credibility of the United States as an impartial mediator between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority, severely damages the future of peace and jeopardizes the security of America, Israel and the Palestinian people."
Members noted that this decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was a flagrant violation of article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
"Mr. Secretary Pompeo, we send you this letter to express our strong opposition to the State Department´s decision to reverse decades of US policy towards Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank by renouncing the 1978 State Department legal opinion," It states that civilian settlements in the occupied territories are contrary to international law. "
"This announcement follows the administration´s decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem outside the framework of a negotiated agreement, the closure of the Palestinian mission in Washington and the US consulate in Jerusalem, and the suspension of congressional aid to the West Bank and Gaza. The 1978 guidelines, in order to understand that settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank makes a geographically cohesive Palestinian state unworkable, threatens Israel´s future as a safe and democratic homeland for the Jewish people. Settlements, without any clear legal justification, implied approval for construction and expansion, and the related demolition of Palestinian homes, and a day after the cabinet decision, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rushed to introduce a bill to annex the Jordan Valley. Such an annexation and US approval would destroy the future of a two-state solution and lead to a more complex and possibly bloodier conflict. It also threatens the security of both Israel and the United States. "
"This decision by the Foreign Ministry is a flagrant violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states that the Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer part of its civilian population to the territory it occupies," the petition said.
"By ignoring international law, this administration has undermined America´s moral position and sent a dangerous message to those who do not share our values ​​that human rights and international law, which have governed the international system and protected American forces and civilians since 1949, are no longer in place. Unilateralism of international law and human rights law unilaterally, it means that the 21st century will only be a more chaotic and brutal one for the Americans and their allies, including the Israeli people. "
Members called on Pompeo to reverse his decision. "In view of these serious implications, we strongly urge you to reverse this decision by politicians immediately."
