by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – The Biden administration has officially labeled settlements as illegal and revoked the “Pompeo Doctrine,” highlighting its opposition to Israel’s plans to construct 3,000 new homes in Judea and Samaria. This move drew sharp criticism from Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State under the Trump administration, who condemned the declaration that these new settlements homes are “inconsistent with international law’.”
“We’re disappointed in the announcement,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday during a joint press conference in Buenos Aires referencing Israel’s announcement to build 3,000 new homes in Judea and Samaria.
“It’s been longstanding US policy under Republican and Democratic administrations alike that new settlements are counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace,” Blinken said.
Mike Pompeo, the architect of the 2019 “Pompeo Doctrine,” which stated that Judea and Samaria’s settlements do not breach international law, sharply disagreed with the Biden Administration and stated his disapproval of X (formerly Twitter) regarding reversing his policy.
Pompeo wrote, “Judea and Samaria are rightful parts of the Jewish homeland, and Israelis have a right to live there.”
“President Biden’s decision to overturn our policy and call Israeli ‘settlements’ illegal will not further the cause of peace,” Pompeo added.
“It rewards Hamas for its brutal attacks on October 7th and punishes Israel instead. These Israeli communities are not standing in the way of peace; militant Palestinian terrorism is,” Pompeo concluded.
Judea and Samaria are rightful parts of the Jewish homeland, and Israelis have a right to live there.
President Biden's decision to overturn our policy and call Israeli 'settlements' illegal will not further the cause of peace. It rewards Hamas for its brutal attacks on October…
— Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) February 23, 2024
Israel’s announcement to push forward with settlement construction came shortly after US Middle East Envoy Brett McGurk held discussions with Netanyahu, Gallant, and the War Cabinet on Thursday, after the news of a terrorist attack near Ma’aleh Adumim that resulted in one death and over eight injuries.
“Let every terrorist plotting to harm us know that any raising of a hand against Israeli citizens will be met with a blow of death and destruction and the deepening of our eternal grip on the entire Land of Israel,” Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said.
Shlomo Ne’eman, leader of the Yesha Council and the Gush Etzion Regional Council, commended the approval of 3,000 new housing units and urged Netanyahu to authorize further construction.
He argued that expanding Judea and Samaria is a fitting rebuttal to those threatening Israel or questioning its territorial claims. Ne’eman expressed hope for the swift approval of additional housing units pending authorization, emphasizing the importance of proactive measures rather than waiting for another tragic incident.
“Our enemies must understand that terrorism does not intimidate us. Strengthening our presence across the Land of Israel is essential,” he stated.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Newly declassified FBI records released by the White House detail what officials describe as a years-long Chinese intelligence effort to penetrate American political circles through sexual relationships, campaign donations, and strategically placed interns.
President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace is considering a significant overhaul of its Gaza disarmament framework after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a plan that would have linked Hamas weapons handovers to phased Israeli troop withdrawals, according to an exclusive report by The Times of Israel.
Iran’s rulers were quietly preparing for a broader and potentially prolonged Middle East war even as Tehran publicly engaged in diplomatic efforts with the United States, according to an exclusive investigation by The Wall Street Journal.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced Sunday that he had ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” military exercises with key regional ally South Korea, citing his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Seoul’s refusal to assist Washington in its confrontation with Iran.
Rescue teams in eastern Indonesia recovered six more bodies Sunday following a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake, raising the death toll to at least 53 as Christians prayed for victims and rescuers struggled to reach isolated communities.
The U.S. Department of Defense is introducing a course centered on Christianity and Western civilization this fall in the schools it operates for military families, while casting Islam as a threat to both.
New York’s Jewish community was reeling Sunday as a judge ordered a man held on bail after prosecutors said he admitted to disrupting Shabbat services at Manhattan’s Central Synagogue and assaulting two people there.