Pompeo visits West Bank settlement
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a provocative trip to an Israeli settlement on Thursday, visiting a winery established in the West Bank in part on land Palestinians say was stolen from them.
It marked the first time a top American diplomat has visited an Israeli settlement, communities built on territory claimed by the Palestinians and viewed by the United Nations and many other countries as illegal.
The move sparked outrage from Palestinians.
Pompeo is “trespassing on Palestinian land stolen by Israel for its illegal settler-colonial enterprise,” tweeted Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee. “You’ve done a lot of damage already. Just go away!”
The State Department also announced two new pro-israel policy shifts on Thursday. In the first, it said products made in the Israeli settlements and imported into the U.S. can be labeled “Made in Israel” rather than in the West Bank, breaking with longstanding policy. Second, the Trump administration labeled as “anti-semitic” a boycott campaign, known as BDS, which is aimed at pressuring Israel to end its occupation of territory in the West Bank.
The announcements came after Pompeo toured the Psagot winery in the West Bank, part of a network of Israeli settlements in the occupied territory. American reporters traveling with Pompeo were not allowed to accompany him to the winery.
“Enjoyed lunch at the scenic Psagot Winery today,” Pompeo wrote in a tweet after his visit. “Unfortunately, Psagot and other businesses have been targeted by pernicious EU labeling efforts that facilitate the boycott of Israeli companies. The U.S. stands with Israel and will not tolerate any form of delegitimization.”
The Palestinians say the Israeli settlements make it nearly impossible for them to achieve their long-held goal of establishing a viable state.
Pompeo’s visit to the winery – which released a red wine named for him last year – came during a broader, multi-country diplomatic tour.
Contributing: Associated Press