EU/FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/MIKE POMPEO/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “Does it deliver a hefty domestic political payoff, reverse an Obama administration position, upturn international law and irritate the European Union? If so, it’s probably a Trump administration foreign policy decision. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday [11-18-19] that the US now rejects a 1978 State Department legal opinion that deemed Israeli settlements in the West Bank ‘inconsistent with international law.’ Like moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2017, this dramatic new stance on settlements — considered illegal by the United Nations and EU — further deprives the Palestinians of leverage and validates Benjamin Netanyahu’s close relationship with Trump at an existential moment for the Israeli PM. Perhaps more important for the US President, Monday’s decision is a gift to conservative evangelical voters who support Israel for reasons of biblical prophecy, as well as to his US donors who are also supportive of right-wing politicians in Israel.”
–Stephen Collinson, “Why would Trump reverse US policy on Israeli settlements? Good question.,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, November 18, 2019 12:05 am