US Secretary of State visits Israeli settlement in first by top diplomat
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has visited an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, becoming the first top US diplomat to do so.
The landmark visit came following his announcement of a new initiative to combat the international Palestinian-led boycott movement.
Mr Pompeo said the US would brand the boycott movement as "anti-semitic" and cut off all funding for groups that participate in it.
Such a step could deny funding to Palestinian and international human rights groups.
Both the visit and the announcement were a parting gift to Israel from Donald Trump's administration, which has broken with decades of US policy to endorse Israel's claims to territory seized in war.
A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Mr Pompeo's visit to the Psagot Winer y in a settlement near Jerusalem. Reporters were not allowed to accompany him.
Mr Pompeo had earlier said he would pay a visit to the Golan Heights, which was seized by Israel in the 1967 war and later annexed in a move not recognised internationally.
He also spoke of the global anti-israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, saying the US would regard it as "anti-semitic".
"We will immediately take steps to identify organisations that engage in hateful BDS conduct and withdraw US government support for such groups," he said.
He added that all nations should" recognise the BDS movement for the cancer that it is".
BDS organisers cast their movement as a non-violent way of protesting Israel's policies toward the Palestinians. The movement, modelled on South Africa's anti-apartheid campaign, has had some limited success over the years but no impact on the Israeli economy.
Israel views BDS as an assault on its existence and has seized on statements by some supporters to accuse it of anti-semitism. Organisers have denied these allegations.
In a statement, the BDS movement reiterated its rejection of "all forms of racism, including anti-jewish racism".
It accused the US and Israel of trying to silence advocacy for Palestinian rights.
"The BDS movement for Palestinian freedom, justice and equality stands with all those struggling for a more dignified, just and beautiful world," it said.
"With our many partners, we shall resist these Mccarthyite attempts to intimidate and bully Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights defenders into accepting Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism as fate."
Mr Pompeo did not provide additional details about the initiative and it was unclear which organisations would be at risk of losing funding.
Israelis have accused international groups like Human Rights Watch and Amnest y International of suppor ting BDS - allegations they deny.
Human Rights Watch, whose researcher was deported from Israel last year for past statements allegedly in support of BDS, does not call for boycotting Israel. However, it has urged companies to avoid doing business in West Bank settlements, saying it makes them complicit in human rights abuses.
Amnesty does not take a position on the boycott movement.