SWC Statement on Historic US Announcement Regarding Israeli Settlements in the West Bank

November 18, 2019

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced in Washington today that the United States does not view Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal. This move is a historic reversal of US policy.

In a statement released from its international headquarters in Los Angeles, Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper, founder and dean and associate dean said, “The European Union needs to take note. The US decision is a historic moment. Israelis have been demonized and Jewish history denied. However, it must still be up to Israel and Palestinians to negotiate peace.”

Last month in Jerusalem, Rabbis Cooper and Hier met with Secretary Pompeo where they discussed Middle East issues, the plight of Kurds in Syria, global anti-Semitism, and continued threats from Iran.

For more information, please contact the Center's Communications Department, 310-772-2454. join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).

 

###