Palestinians have accused the Trump administration of pushing Israel to build more settlements before Joe Biden reaches the White House, saying they will file a complaint with the UN against US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo if he visited a settlement in the West Bank next week.
Hanan Ashrawi, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), confirmed that a complaint will be submitted to the UN in the wake of the potential visit.
She told reporters in Ramallah that the visit of Pompeo makes him an accessory to a war crime. Such a visit embodies the hostile attitude of Trump’s administration in its endeavor to score some Israeli goals before departing the White House.
The National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements, affiliated with the PLO, accused the Israeli government of exploiting the US presidential elections' outcome as well as the expected change in the US administration on Jan. 20 to annex large swathes of the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh condemned Pompeo’s planned visit.
“We deplore US Sec. of State Mike Pompeo’s intent to visit the illegal settlement of Psagot, built on lands belonging to Palestinian owners in El-Bireh city, during his visit to Israel next week. This dangerous precedent legalizes settlements and is a blow to international legitimacy and UN resolutions,” the PM said.
Shtayyeh called on the European Union to engage with the new US administration to find a genuine political path based on the UN resolutions, and the international law. He stressed that the Palestinian cause should be a priority for the international community.
