The US State Department on Friday criticized the comments of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video he released earlier in the day, in which he accused the Palestinians of seeking the “ethnic cleansing” of Jews from the West Bank.
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He went on to allege that the Palestinian leadership sought a Palestinian state on the condition that it was “a state without Jews”.
In a video disseminated on social media platforms, Netanyahu said he had “always been perplexed” by the claim that settlements are an “obstacle to peace”.
While the prime minister only vaguely referenced “some enlightened nations” who are unfortunately backing this “outrageous” demand, he very clearly had the United States in mind as he asked, “Would you accept ethnic cleansing in your state?”
A picture taken in the West Bank city of al-Khalil, also known as Hebron, on July 6, 2016, shows a Palestinian man standing in front of buildings in the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement on the outskirts of the Palestinian city.
Palestinian officials have yet to comment on the Israeli prime minister’s claims.
Facebook has been accused by Israeli officials of turning a blind eye to violent messages encouraging attacks by individual Palestinians against Israelis.
“The undisputed fact is that already this year, thousands of settlement units have been advanced for Israelis in the West Bank, illegal outposts and unauthorized settlement units have been retroactively legalized, more West Bank land has been seized for exclusive Israeli use, and there has been a dramatic escalation of demolitions resulting in over 700 Palestinian structures destroyed, displacing more than 1,000 Palestinians”.
US State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters on Friday that “type of terminology is inappropriate and unhelpful”.
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of their future independent state, with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
She underlined that Israeli settlement activity is “an obstacle to peace”.
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Trudeau added in her briefing that the United States feels the settlement policy raises “real questions about Israel’s long-term intentions in the West Bank”.
