Trump Supports Expanding Illegal Israeli Settlements

by Stephen Lendman

Israel is an outlaw state, a serial human rights abuser, asserting the right to occupy and colonize Palestine - a lawless act enforced by military might. 

Settlements violate international law, prioritize land theft and prevent peace. Fourth Geneva's Article 49 states:

"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."

Displacing Palestinians, destroying their homes, other property and personal possessions, stealing their land, along with letting settlers occupy it directly contravenes Article 49.

Since 1967, Israel established 124 illegal West Bank settlements, about 100 outposts and 12 neighbors on stolen Palestinian land.

Trump is no friend of Palestine. On May 3, London's Daily Mail reported him saying settlement expansions should "keep going…keep moving forward." He rejects a pause in construction.

He brazenly lied, claiming "thousands of missiles are being launched into Israel. Who would put up with that? Who would stand for it?"

The right of self-defense is sacrosanct in international law. Rockets aren't fired on Israel preemptively, only in response to IDF aggression.

Trump is no different from longstanding bipartisan US policy toward Israel/Palestine - on the one hand, saying he prefers remaining "neutral" so he's better able to broker peace - unattainable for nearly half a century because Israel wants endless conflict.

On the other, he one-sidedly supports Israel, ignoring its ruthless agenda, calling Arab-hating war criminal Netanyahu "a very good guy. I think I'd have a very good relationship with him."

He ludicrously claimed "Israel was never properly treated" by America, saying "Obama has been extremely bad to Israel," calling the important Iranian nuclear deal "a disaster for Israel" - a shameless perversion of truth.

At AIPAC's March conference, he lied, saying Iran aims "to destabilize and dominate the region." He called Jerusalem "the eternal capital of the Jewish people," vowing to move America's embassy there, a flagrant international law violation if implemented.

He supports unlimited settlement construction. Maybe he plans building a regional Trump Tower on stolen Palestinian land.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

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

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

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