Washington – An annual US government report on human rights worldwide in 2017 has dropped reference to the Palestinian territories as “occupied” for the first time since 1979.
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The State Department report, released on Friday, now lists its section on Israel and the territories by their names: Gaza and the West Bank, alongside the Golan Heights, de facto annexed by Israel from Syria in 1981. Before 1979, the report only listed Israel, without mentioning the disputed territories.
Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and has no administrative control there. But it maintains full security control over the West Bank/ Judea and Samaria through military occupation, and continues to approve construction for Israeli settlers to live there.
The 2017 report includes one reference to the territory being occupied.
“Israeli authorities did not permit Palestinians who were abroad during the 1967 War or whose residence permits the Israeli government subsequently withdrew to reside permanently in the occupied territories,” it reads. “It was difficult for foreign-born spouses and children of Palestinians to obtain residency. Authorities required Palestinian spouses of Jerusalem residents to obtain a residency permit with reported delays of several years to obtain them.”
The Trump administration has been mum on Israel’s presence in the West Bank relative to its predecessors. The US president characterizes Israeli settlement activity as “unhelpful” to the pursuit of peace, but has declined to explicitly endorse a two-state solution to the conflict.
His ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, referred to Israel’s policy as an alleged “occupation” in an interview with The Jerusalem Post last year. He reportedly directed the State Department in December to stop using the term altogether.
“The lie of the occupied Palestinian territories begins to be revealed,” Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman wrote in response to the new report on Twitter.
“They say that a lie repeated often enough becomes true, but the truth is always stronger. The State Department report is proof of that,” Liberman wrote.
Mazel tov!
Once again president Trump shows his true support for Jews . One thing that’s indisputable is that we have the greatesr ohev yisroel in the WH
And glad they stood up to the fake news liars about “occupied territory “. Don’t give me that garbage about it being true . True facts but fake story . That’s the modus opperenda of the failing nyt .
And while we are at it , they should stop calling it the Israeli Palestinian conflict . Was 9/11 the American / al qeda conflict ? It should be called Palestinian terror . End of story
To my satmar anti settlement friends ,
What you believe or the heliga Reba Zya held is not relevant to this discussion. Among Jews we can debate if zionists and settlements are good or bad . But when it comes to the goyim we show our support . If they like any Jews especially frum Jews they are on our side . The Reba never made public protests against any frum Jews . His shita was to only protest the medina but not mezrachi etc in public
Re settlements themselves could be that Zionism is bad and they were reshoom. But practically speaking settlements save lives . The Palestinians would kill us anyhow ( yes we are still in Golus) it’s not a zero sum game where settlements = yiddisha blit and no settlements =
No blood . These are blood thirsty vultures. Israel is Any how in the lions den via being surrounded by tens of millions of these beasts . Settlements at least keep them spread thin , immobilize them and keep them for away from big cities where attacks can be devestating
Finally a pro Israel administration unlike the obamanation administration who publicly condemned Israel at every turn
What will yamsar boss Soros say?
Hashomer, Yasmar and Yonasonw had us all believing Trump was anti semetic
Fake News. Deep State (Dept). Don’t believe a single word.
Isn’t Hawaii occupied, since it once had its own King, before he was deposed by the Americans? What about Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico? Are they not occupied?
A bit off the topic , but, all of those who are against the ‘zionist’ medina do not think the subject thru. Let them all , as a group , go to ask jordan or egypt , to give them citizenship in their countries or passports of their countries, and see what answer they will get ,and or how much support they will get.I don’t think any of the muslim countries would put out the welcome mat for them.