CAIRO, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Arab foreign ministers rejected on Monday a recent U.S. decision stating that the Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories do not violate the international law.
Following a meeting at the Cairo-based Arab League, the Arab foreign ministers stressed, in a resolution they jointly adopted, that the U.S. decision is void, illegal, baseless and violates the United Nations Charter and relevant UN resolutions.
On Nov. 18, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. government will no longer consider Israel's West Bank settlements "inconsistent" with the international law, a move that may further dim the future of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Pompeo said at a press conference that the decision, which reversed the Obama administration's position on the issue, had been made based on the "reality on the ground."
The Arab ministers warned that such moves pose a real threat to regional and international security, peace and stability.
They also said that the U.S. decision is meant to legalize and support Israel's settlement, "which may undermine the Arab peace initiative."
Israeli settlement activity is considered one of the major issues that caused the collapse of the peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis in 2014.
According to the latest Palestinian data, around 400,000 Israelis live in 135 settlements and 100 illegal outposts in the West Bank, where the Palestinian population has reached 2.6 million.
