Israeli efforts to legalize West Bank outpost undermined the peace process, the US Embassy in Tel Aviv warned Wednesday in advance of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s arrival tomorrow for a two day visit to help rekindle talks with the Palestinians.
“We do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity and oppose any efforts to legalize settlement outposts, which would undermine peace efforts and would contradict Israeli commitments and obligations,” US Embassy spokesman Geoff Anisman told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
He added that the United States position on these points has been clear and has not changed.
Anisman spoke in the aftermath of a High Court of Justice hearing on a Peace Now petition demanding that the state enforce the law and demolish six unauthorized West Bank outposts.
The state, however, has told the court verbally and in writing that it intends to legalize four of them; Givat Assaf, Ma’aleh Rehavam, Givat Ho-Roeh and Mitzpe Lachish.
A US embassy representative was at the hearing, but refused to speak to the press.
The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel immediately condemned his presence there, charging that it was a blatant US attempt to interfere with Israel internal legal procedures.
But Anisman said US representatives often went to court proceedings and Knesset sessions as part of their routine work to monitor Israeli activity. This is similar to how US embassies in other countries operate, he said.
Peace Now Executive Director Yariv Oppenheimer said, however, that he did not recall seeing a US representative at past hearing on the outposts. He added that he has seen in the past European representatives observe court hearing on human rights issues.
"I believe the presence of an embassy representative was a message to the government and not to the court, that the issue of the West Bank outposts is very important to the US," Oppenheimer said.
These four unauthorized Jewish communities are part of a larger list of 24 outposts built after March 2001, which former prime minister Ariel Sharon promised the US he would remove. Former prime minister Ehud Olmert repeated that pledge to the US as did Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu shortly after he took office in March 2009.
Hagit Ofran, of Peace Now, has said that legalization of these four outposts also contradicts past Israeli promises not to create new settlements or expand existing ones.
The Palestinians have insisted that they will not hold direct negotiations with Israel until it halts all West Bank settlement activity and Jewish building in east Jerusalem. Israel has refused to ceded to that request and has insisted instead that talks be held without pre-conditions.
Kerry was due to arrive Thursday in hopes of breaking that impasse.