Pompeo visits Israeli settlement in West Bank

On Thursday US State Mike Pompeo made a trip to an Israeli settlement and visiting a winery established in the West Bank in part on land Palestinians say was stolen from them. This was the first time a top American diplomat has visited an Israeli settlement, communities built on territory claimed by the Palestinians and viewed by the United Nations and many other countries as illegal. The move sparked outrage from Palestinians.

The State Department also announced two new pro-Israel policy shifts on Thursday.

• Products made in the Israeli settlements and imported into the U.S. can be labeled Made in Israel rather than in the West Bank breaking with longstanding policy.

• The Trump administration labeled as anti-Semitic a boycott campaign, known as BDS, which is aimed at pressuring Israel to end its occupation of territory in the West Bank.

The announcements came after Pompeo toured the Psagot winery in the West Bank, part of a broader network of Israeli settlements in the occupied territory. American reporters traveling with Pompeo were not allowed to accompany him to the winery.

Pompeo wrote in a tweet after his visit Enjoyed lunch at the scenic Psagot Winery today.

Unfortunately, Psagot and other businesses have been targeted by pernicious EU labeling efforts that facilitate the boycott of Israeli companies. The U.S. stands with Israel and will not tolerate any form of delegitimization.

The Palestinians say the Israeli settlements make it nearly impossible for them to achieve their long-held goal of establishing a viable state.

Pompeo's visit to the winery which released a red wine named for him last year came during a broader, multi-country diplomatic tour. After his visit to the Israeli settlement, Pompeo visited the disputed territory of Golan Heights on Thursday.

He said, this is a part of Israel and a central part of Israel.

Earlier Thursday, Pompeo's met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after which the Israeli leader lavished Pompeo and Trump with praise that over the last four years, under President Trump and his remarkable team, Israel’s alliance with the U.S. has reached unprecedented heights. Israel is deeply grateful for all that President Trump has done.