Arab League condemns US reversal on Israeli settlements

CAIRO – Arab League foreign ministers have denounced the Trump administration’s announcement that it no longer considers Israeli settlements to be a violation of international law.

In an emergency meeting convened Monday, a week after the U.S. announcement, Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit called the decision “unfairly biased and unacceptable.” He says the U.S. has forfeited its role as a neutral arbiter between Israel and the Palestinians.

The U.S. policy change, which sparked international condemnation, was the latest in a series of moves by the White House in which it sided with Israel’s right-wing government against the Palestinians on key issues in the decades-old conflict.

While publicly declaring support for the Palestinians, some Arab states like Saudi Arabia have quietly forged closer ties with Israel based on a shared rivalry with Iran.