Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offers further praise for the Trump administration’s announcement yesterday it would no longer necessarily view West Bank settlements as illegal, as he tours the Etzion settlement bloc.
“I confess I’m very moved. We’re here, in Gush Etzion, a place we were expelled from during the War of Independence, and here we are on a historic day with another tremendous achievement for the State of the Israel, that we worked quite a bit on,” Netanyahu was quoted saying in a statement from his office.
“The Trump administration fixed a historic injustice here and stood by truth and justice. I thank President Trump and Secretary of State Pompeo. This a very big day for the State of Israel and an achievement that will stand for generations,” the prime minister adds.
While praised by Israel, the American shift on settlements has been widely rejected internationally and by leading Democratic presidential nominees. Most countries consider settlements illegal under international law, a position rejected by Israel.
Is our live election coverage important to you?
Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the 2026 Israeli election? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:
- Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock to report political developments as they unfold;
- Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and podcasts; and
- Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including our DocuNation streaming film series and weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.
Join The Times of Israel Community
JOIN NOW
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
