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White House: West Bank construction not helpful but not impediment to peace
In a statement overnight, the new US administration gave its clearest indication yet over its position on Israeli construction in the West Bank.
The statement issued by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said: “The American desire for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians has remained unchanged for 50 years. While we don’t believe the existence of settlements is an impediment to peace, the construction of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements beyond their current borders may not be helpful in achieving that goal.”
The statement also emphasised that “the Trump administration has not taken an official position on settlement activity” and that “as the President has expressed many times, he hopes to achieve peace throughout the Middle East region”.
The statement added that Trump “looks forward to continuing discussions” with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to the White House scheduled for next week.
Netanyahu spoke yesterday with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. A statement from the State Department said that Tillerson “stressed America’s steadfast commitment to its key allies and partners as it works to protect the interests and safety of the American people”. It is not clear whether the discussion included the White House statement on settlements or not.
During Congressional confirmation hearings, Tillerson made clear his opposition to to attempts to “coerce” Israel through resolutions at the UN which are biased towards settlement building. Tillerson also described his predecessor John Kerry’s sharp criticism of Israeli settlement policy during his final days in office as “quite troubling”.
Earlier this week, President Trump spoke on his campaign pledge to relocate the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Talking to the Christian Broadcasting Network, Trump said he would be making a decision on the relocation “in the not-too-distant future”.
He said that “it’s a big, big decision” but they are “studying the issue right now,” and that although he has “always liked the concept of doing it,” the issue “has two sides to it, it’s not easy”.