US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed on Sunday to oppose Israeli settlements or annexation in the West Bank, but promised to judge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s incoming government by actions and not personalities.
Mr Netanyahu is expected within days to return to power after sealing a coalition deal with extreme-right movements including Religious Zionism, which is set for a post in charge of settlements in the West Bank.
Speaking to J Street, a left-leaning pro-Israel US advocacy group, Mr Blinken offered congratulations to the veteran Israeli leader, who has clashed with previous Democratic administrations in Washington.
“We will gauge the government by the policies it pursues rather than individual personalities,” he said.
But he said Joe Biden’s administration would work “relentlessly” to preserve a “horizon of hope”, however dim, for the creation of a Palestinian state.
“We will also continue to unequivocally oppose any acts that undermine the prospects of a two-state solution, including but not limited to settlement expansion, moves toward annexation of the West Bank, disruption to the historic status quo of holy sites, demolitions and evictions, and incitement to violence,” Mr Blinken said.
He said the Biden administration will insist on “core democratic principles, including respect to the rights of LGBTQ people and the equal administration of justice for all citizens of Israel”. The far-right groups in Mr Netanyahu’s coalition will include Noam, whose leader, Avi Maoz, is staunchly opposed to LGBTQ rights.
Read the article by Shaun Tandon in The Australian.