During a visit to the town of Alon Shvut in Gush Etzion on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu praised the U.S. administration’s policy reversal on Judea and Samaria as a “huge achievement” that “fixed a historic wrong.”
“I think it is a great day for the State of Israel and an achievement that will remain for decades,” he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Monday that the “establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law.”
The statement was criticized by Jordan as “dangerous,” while the Palestinian Authority said that the United States had “lost its credibility to play any future role in the peace process” as a result of the policy shift.
The move follows the Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel; the relocation of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem; halting aid to the P.A. because of payments to terrorists and their families; and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.