US won’t oppose Israel’s E1 settlement plan East of Jerusalem, envoy Huckabee says

US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, stated that the United States does not oppose the “massive expansion” of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and does not view it as a violation of international law. 

In an interview with Israeli Army Radio, Huckabee emphasised that decisions regarding substantial development in the E1 area of occupied Jerusalem, which would isolate East Jerusalem from its geographic surroundings and separate the northern West Bank from the southern region, rest solely with the Israeli government. He remarked “We would not try to evaluate the good and the bad of that, but simply just say that, as a general rule, it is not a violation of international law. It’s also, I think, incumbent on all of us to recognise that Israelis have a right to live in Israel”.

Huckabee has previously suggested that the Trump administration could consider allowing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to annex the West Bank under Israeli sovereignty.

The topic of West Bank annexation has gained renewed attention following Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections. This has been echoed in statements from Israeli officials advocating for the necessity of annexation, particularly from far- right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Huckabee’s latest comments have generated significant controversy, especially as they coincide with Smotrich’s announcement to revitalise the settlement project in the E1 area, which entails the construction of thousands of housing units for illegal settlers. The project aims to link occupied Jerusalem with the Ma’ale Adumim illegal settlement to the east, effectively dividing the northern West Bank from the southern region and isolating Palestinian communities.

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