US House Speaker Mike Johnson visits Israeli West Bank settlement

Johnson becomes the highest-ranking US authoritative to sojourn an amerciable colony successful the occupied Palestinian territory.

Mike Johnson, the apical legislator successful the United States Congress, has visited an amerciable colony successful the occupied West Bank, drafting condemnation from Palestinians.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry called the travel by the talker of the US House of Representatives connected Monday a “blatant usurpation of planetary law”.

Johnson, who is adjacent successful enactment for the US presidency aft the president and vice-president, is the highest-ranking US authoritative to sojourn a West Bank Israeli settlement.

His travel comes amid escalating settler unit against Palestinian communities that killed two US citizens successful July.

The Israeli subject has besides been intensifying its deadly raids, location demolitions and displacement campaigns successful the West Bank arsenic it carries retired its brutal battle and blockade connected Gaza.

Johnson’s sojourn contradicts Arab and US efforts to “end the rhythm of violence” arsenic good arsenic Washington’s nationalist stance against settlers’ “aggressions”, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said.

“The ministry affirms that each colony enactment is invalid and amerciable and undermines the accidental to instrumentality the two-state solution and execute peace,” it added.

According to Israeli media reports, Johnson visited the colony of Ariel, northbound of Ramallah, connected Monday.

“Judea and Samaria are the beforehand lines of the authorities of Israel and indispensable stay an integral portion of it,” Johnson was quoted arsenic saying by the Jerusalem Post newspaper, utilizing a biblical sanction for the West Bank.

“Even if the satellite thinks otherwise, we basal with you.”

The House speaker’s comments look to beryllium successful notation to caller moves by immoderate Western countries – including adjacent allies of the US and Israel – to recognise a Palestinian state.

‘Illegal nether planetary law’

Israeli settlements successful the West Bank and East Jerusalem are amerciable nether planetary law. The International Court of Justice, the apical United Nations tribunal, reaffirmed that position past year, saying that Israel’s beingness successful the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and indispensable extremity “as rapidly arsenic possible”.

Asked astir Johnson’s visit, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters connected Monday: “Our standpoint connected the settlements, arsenic you know, is that they are amerciable nether planetary law.”

Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem successful 1967, and annexed the full beatified metropolis successful 1980.

Successive Israeli governments person been gathering Jewish-only settlements successful the West Bank connected onshore that would beryllium the location of a Palestinian authorities if a two-state solution were to materialise.

Hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers present unrecorded successful the occupied West Bank.

The Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Israel is simply a signatory, bans the occupying powerfulness from transferring “parts of its ain civilian colonisation into the territory it occupies”.

While the Oslo Accords granted the Palestinian Authority immoderate municipal powers implicit parts of the West Bank, the full country remains nether afloat Israeli information control.

Israel besides controls the airspace and ports of introduction successful the territory.

Israeli settlers successful the West Bank person afloat citizenship rights, portion Palestinians unrecorded nether Israel’s subject rule, wherever they tin beryllium detained indefinitely without charges.

Leading rights groups person accused Israel of imposing a system of apartheid connected Palestinians.

‘It’s a substance of religion for us’

For decades, the US has publically rejected West Bank settlements and called for a two-state solution contempt providing Israel with billions of dollars successful subject aid.

However, US President Donald Trump has taken US argumentation further successful favour of Israel, refusing to criticise colony enlargement oregon perpetrate to backing a Palestinian state.

Many Republicans, meanwhile, person agelong expressed enactment for Israel from a theological perspective, arguing that it is simply a Christian spiritual work to backmost the US ally.

“Our supplication is that America volition ever basal with Israel. We commune for the preservation and the bid of Jerusalem. That’s what scripture tells america to do. It’s a substance of religion for us,” Johnson said connected Sunday during a sojourn to the Western Wall.

In a societal media post, Marc Zell, seat of the US Republicans Overseas Israel, cited Johnson arsenic saying connected Monday that the mountains of the West Bank are “the rightful spot of the Jewish People”.