Trump Regime Supports Israeli Annexation of West Bank

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Since taking office, Trump and Zionist ideologues infesting his regime have been more one-sided for Israel than any of their predecessors.

DJT illegally moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, a UN recognized international city. He considers Judea, Samaria (the West Bank and Jerusalem), and Syria's Golan Israeli territory.

He ignores Fourth Geneva's Article 49, stating:

"Individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited, regardless of their motive."

"The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies."

International humanitarian law prohibits establishment of settlements in occupied areas.

Trump's envoy to Israel David Friedman supports unlawful settlement expansions and annexation of Palestinian land.

He's hostile to Palestinian statehood, earlier denigrating Palestinians, saying "(n)obody really knows how many (of them) live" in the Occupied Territories.

Currently, it's an estimated 5.2 million compared to about 6.7 million Jews. Asked earlier if he and Trump support Palestinian statehood, he said "not without the approval of the Israelis."

They have to…decid(e) whether or not to give up land to create a Palestinian state." In other words, Palestinians have no say about self-determination on their own land.

Israeli rights alone matter, not theirs, according to Friedman, the way it's been for over 70 years with no prospect for positive change.

Israel controls the entire West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, occupying well over two-thirds of what it calls Judea and Samaria.

Settlements, state land, closed military zones, nature reserves, national parks, areas for Israel's Separation Wall, free-firing zones, commercial locations, no-go areas, Jews-only roads, checkpoints, and other barriers are off-limits to Palestinians.

Friedman calls settlements and other areas controlled by Israel part of its land. Ahead of April elections, Netanyahu vowed to annex West Bank land Israel controls, saying the following:

"A Palestinian state will endanger our existence (sic), and I withstood huge pressure over the past eight years (sic). No prime minister has withstood such pressure (sic). We must control our destiny," adding:

"Will we move ahead to the next stage? Yes. I will extend sovereignty but I don't distinguish between the settlement blocs and the isolated ones, because each settlement is Israeli and I will not hand it over to Palestinian sovereignty."

"I will not divide Jerusalem. I will not evacuate any community. and I will make sure we control the territory west of Jordan…I promised and it will happen at the soonest opportunity."

Friedman concurs, calling settlements and other areas controlled by Israel part of its land. Interviewed by the NYT, he reaffirmed the view he stated earlier, saying "Israel has the right to retain some (meaning all high-value areas), but unlikely all, of the West Bank."

He lied calling Trump's no-peace/deal of the century peace plan a way to improve the lives of Palestinians. It's all about continued subjugation under military occupation.

He supports whatever serves Israel's interests no matter how harmful to fundamental Palestinian rights.

He slammed Security Council 2334, adopted in December 2016 by a 14 – 0 vote, Washington abstaining, saying settlements have "no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation under international law."

It demanded "Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem."

It recognized no territorial changes "to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations."

It "(c)alled upon all States, to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967."

According to Friedman, international law doesn't matter when it interferes with Israeli hegemonic aims.

It's entitled to no land stolen from Palestinians, dispossessing them for exclusive Jewish development and use.

Friedman, other Trump regime Zionist ideologues, DJT, and supportive media like the NYT are part of the problem, rejecting equity and justice for long-suffering Palestinians.

Conditions for them are worse than ever since Trump took office. According to Friedman, they're responsible for Israeli crimes committed against them.

Along with other Trump regime hardliners, he's reviled by Palestinians for one-sidedly supporting Israeli interests at their expense.

VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html