Today’s (19 November) visit by US Secretary of State Pompeo to an Israeli settlement unit in the occupied West Bank as part of his ongoing trip to Israel constitutes a grave step against the UN resolutions that underline the illegality of Israel’s settlement activities in the Palestinian territories under international law, particularly the Resolution 2334 (2016) of the UN Security Council, where the US serves as a permanent member.

Behind this visit lies the purpose of legitimizing Israel's illegal actions in the occupied Palestinian territories. These irresponsibly unilateral steps will not succeed in undermining the established parameters for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the UN resolutions and the rights and freedoms of the Palestinian people. Such premeditated actions are doomed to fail.

We will continue to protect the legitimate rights of our Palestinian brothers and sisters based on international law and to defend the just cause of Palestine.