He added: “The establishment of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with international law.”

Pompeo said that calling the settlements inconsistent with international law has done nothing to bring peace in the region.

“After carefully studying all sides of the legal debate, this administration agrees with President Reagan,” Pompeo stated, referring to former President Ronald Reagan’s position that Israeli West Bank settlements weren’t inherently illegal.

Pompeo said the decision to reverse the legal opinion hasn’t harmed the prospects of a two-state solution.

“We recognized the reality on the ground. We provided a space for Israel and the Palestinians to negotiate. We have increased the likelihood” of a solution, he said. “We have provided the very space for Israel and the Palestinians to come together. What we did here was conduct a legal analysis,” Pompeo added.

However, he warned that the statement wasn’t intended to send a message to approve further settlements, saying it is “intended to be a legal review.”

Meanwhile, Pompeo said the policy change hasn’t been driven by domestic political issues, and he’s not concerned that the United States will be isolated over the move. . . .

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the announcement.

“Today, the United States adopted an important policy that rights a historical wrong when the Trump administration clearly rejected the false claim that Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria are inherently illegal under international law,” his office said in a statement obtained by the Times of Israel.

“This policy reflects a historical truth — that the Jewish people are not foreign colonialists in Judea and Samaria. In fact, we are called Jews because we are the people of Judea,” he remarked.

(Excerpted from The Epoch Times. Article by Jack Phillips.)