House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized a new policy by the Biden Administration regarding Israel and the West Bank. He stated on social media that Jews have a “historic and legal right to live in the land of Israel including in Judea and Samaria — the biblical heartland.”
The criticism comes in response to the U.S. State Department’s stance that new Israeli housing and settlements in the West Bank are “inconsistent with international law.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed firm opposition to settlement expansion, believing it undermines Israel’s security.
This policy marks a return to the stance held before the Trump administration, which did not consider settlements in the West Bank inconsistent with international law. Johnson’s rebuke highlights a significant policy divergence between the current and previous U.S. administrations on the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank