Watch: Pompeo Says US is ‘Disavowing’ Hansell Memorandum

Photo Credit: Kohelet Policy Forum / YouTube screengrab

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that the United States is “disavowing” the 1978 Hansell Memorandum, a State Department memo that claimed Israeli settlements violate international law.

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In a video statement to the Kohelet Policy Forum in Jerusalem, Pompeo said, “We’re recognizing that these settlements don’t inherently violate international law. That is important.

“We’re disavowing the deeply flawed 1978 Hansell memo, and we’re returning to a balanced and sober Reagan-era approach.”

“In doing so, we’re advancing the cause of peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” he added.

The statement comes after Pompeo’s declaration in November that the United States “no longer recognize Israeli settlements as per se inconsistent with international law.”