Saudi Arabia, Pakistan reject US backing of Jewish settlements in Palestine

A fence is seen at the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Nov. 19, 2019. (REUTERS)

• Last week Secretary of State Pompeo said US would no longer consider Jewish settlements in the West Bank ‘unlawful’
• Israel’s construction of settlements “contrary to resolutions of international legitimacy and international law,” Saudi foreign minister says 

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia on Monday reiterated its rejection of a recent announcement by the United States that it would no longer consider Jewish settlements in the West Bank as unlawful, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Last week, Pakistan also reiterated its position on ‘illegal’ Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory and rejected a statement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo abandoning the decades-old US position that settlements in Israeli-occupied territory were “inconsistent with international law” and reversing a stand taken under President Jimmy Carter in 1978.
Israel started building settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the wake of the Six-Day War in June 1967.
In a speech at an extraordinary session of the Arab League Council held in Cairo, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, reaffirmed his country’s stance on Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
“My government announced a few days ago that Israel’s construction of settlements is contrary to the resolutions of international legitimacy and international law,” the foreign minister said, adding that the new position was an obstacle to the two-state solution and stood in the way of achieving peace in the Middle East.
The minister said the Palestinian issue was a foremost issue for Arabs and Muslims and Saudi Arabia’s position toward it had always been consistent. He added that the Kingdom had spared no effort in supporting the Palestinian people, and believed in the justice of their cause, which required the intervention of the international community. 
The Kingdom would continue to support the Palestinian cause until the Palestinian people attained their rights, especially the establishment of an independent state with East Al-Quds as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international resolutions, the minister said.
On Thursday, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Dr. Muhammed Faisal said Islamabad considered all the Jewish settlements in the West Bank “illegal under international law,” adding that the US administration’s endorsement legitimizing the settlements would hamper the viability of the two states solution and prospects of lasting peace in the region.