Israeli Settlements, U.S. Foreign Policy, and International Law

Abstract

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s statement that Israel’s settlements are not contrary to international law caused international outrage as it marked a dramatic departure from previous U.S. statements on the legality of Israel’s West Bank settlements. This paper argues that the announcement was connected to developments at the International Criminal Court (ICC) where the Prosecutor, a month later, announced that there is a reasonable basis to initiate an investigation into alleged war crimes committed in Palestine by Israel and Hamas.