Palestinians slam U.S. over remarks on Israeli settlements

The Palestinians condemned on Monday U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said that the Israeli settlements in the West Bank do not violate the international law.

Pompeo's declaration "is void, rejected, condemned and totally contradicts international law," said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman of the Palestinian Presidency, in an official press statement.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo makes a statement during a press conference at the US Department of State in Washington, DC, on November 18, 2019. [Photo: AFP]

He also said that Pompeo's remarks violate "the resolutions of the international legitimacy and the Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution No. 2334."

Abu Rudeineh clarified that the American Administration "is not entitled or authorized to revoke the resolutions of the international legitimacy, nor is it entitled to give any legitimacy to Israeli settlement."

He added that "the Palestinian Presidency calls on the world to reject and condemn these remarks for being illegal and threatening international peace and security."

He stressed that the American Administration has completely lost all credibility and no longer has any role in the peace process.

"We hold the American Administration fully responsible for any repercussions of this dangerous situation," he said.

Political ties between the United States and the Palestinian Authority have been severed right after President Donald Trump announced Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Hamas movement, which has been ruling the Gaza Strip since 2007, has also slammed Pompeo's announcement over the legitimacy of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

"Pompeo's remarks are a continuation of the American policy, which has been always biased, in support of the occupation, and an official cover for its violations and crimes committed against the Palestinian people," Hamas said in a press statement.