SHAAR BINYAMIN, West Bank: Mike Pompeo yesterday paid the first visit by a US secretary of state to an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, in a parting show of solidarity with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the outgoing Trump administration. Palestinians accused Pompeo of helping Israel to cement its control over West Bank land that they seek for a state after he made a trip to the Shaar Binyamin winery near the settlement of Psagot, just north of Jerusalem.

To Israel's delight and Palestinian dismay, Pompeo in 2019 broke with decades of American foreign policy to announce that the US under President Donald Trump no longer viewed Israel's settlements as "inconsistent with international law".
Palestinians and much of the world regard the settlements as illegal under international law. After meeting with Netanyahu yesterday morning Pompeo travelled to the West Bank to visit the settler winery, which has a blend named after him.

He also issued guidelines for Israeli products made in settlements to be labelled "Made in Israel" or "Product of Israel" when imported to the United States, removing the distinction between products made within Israel and those produced in occupied territory. The US will label exports from Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank as Israeli, Secretary of Pompeo announced yesterday, in Washington's latest move backing Israel's authority over the Palestinian territory.

"All producers within areas where Israel exercises the relevant authorities…? will be required to? mark? goods as? 'Israel',?'Product of Israel', or 'Made in Israel' ?when exporting to the United States," Pompeo said in a statement.
He said the new guidelines apply "most notably" to Area C, the large part of the West Bank where Israel retains full civil and military control and where much of the settler population lives.

Area C also includes the strategic Jordan Valley and many Palestinian communities, areas that Israel considers to be disputed territory. Pompeo's announcement seems to imply that even Palestinian exports from Area C should be tagged as Israeli products. "Area C producers operate within the economic and administrative framework of Israel and their goods should be treated accordingly," he said.

Pompeo's visit departed from past policy that had kept top US officials away from settlements, which Palestinians view as obstacles to a viable future state. Palestinian negotiator Hanan Ashrawi accused Pompeo of using Trump's final weeks in office "to set yet another illegal precedent, violate international law and perhaps to advance his own future political ambitions".

"Pompeo is intoxicated by apartheid wine stolen from Palestinian land. It is opportunistic and self-serving, and it damages the chances for peace," Ashrawi told Reuters. Wasel Abu Youssef, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, also denounced his labelling announcement. "This is totally rejected. It reaffirms the partnership between President Trump and the occupation," he said. It is unclear whether Trump's decision on settlements would be reversed by a Biden administration, amid Israeli concerns he will take a tougher line on the issue.

Golan Heights
Before heading to the West Bank, Pompeo said he also intended to visit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. In 2019 Trump formally recognized Israel's sovereignty over the area of the strategic plateau that it captured from Syria in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognized by the United Nations and most countries.

"The simple recognition of this as part of Israel, too, was a decision President Trump made that is historically important and simply a recognition of reality," Pompeo said yesterday. The Palestinian leadership cut ties with Trump White House three years ago, accusing it of pro-Israel bias. But many Israelis viewed Trump's election defeat with dismay, and his close ally Netanyahu waited 10 days after Joe Biden declared victory to speak with the Democratic candidate and refer to him as president-elect. - Agencies