US House Speaker 'calls West Bank rightful property of Jewish people' during visit

Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemns trip by Mike Johnson

Mike Johnson's trip makes him the highest-ranking US official to visit an Israeli settlement. Reuters

Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, visited the Israeli settlement of Ariel in the West Bank on Monday, according to reports.

A photo posted on X by Israel Hayom showed settlement mayor Yair Chetboun with Mr Johnson and the Speaker’s wife after apparently having planted a tree. Mr Johnson is the highest-ranking US official to visit an Israeli settlement.

Marc Zell, chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel, said in a post on X that Mr Johnson had called the West Bank - which he referred to by its biblical name of "Judea and Samaria" - “the rightful property of the Jewish people”.

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The Speaker was originally scheduled to visit Israel at the end of June, but that was derailed by the air war between Israel and Iran. The private visit was organised by a pro-Israel advocacy group, Axios reported, quoting Israeli officials.

He was accompanied on his visit to Israel by a group of Republican members of Congress. The group held a meeting with Defence Minister Israel Katz, who thanked them for their “unwavering support and moral clarity in standing with Israel against its enemies”. Mr Johnson's office did not immediately respond to The National's request for comment.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the visit, calling it “a blatant violation of international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and the Arab and US efforts to stop the war, halt the cycle of violence, and achieve calm”.

The ministry said the visit was a “clear contradiction with the declared US position regarding settlements and settlers' attacks”. It added that it views the visit as “an encouragement of settlement crimes, settlers' actions, and the confiscation of Palestinian lands.

Mr Johnson, a Republican and supporter of US President Donald Trump, has frequently voiced strong support for Israel. While American politicians have visited Israeli settlements in the past, this is the first time a Speaker of the House – third in line of the presidential succession – has done so. Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo visited a winery in the West Bank in 2020.

Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories are considered to be illegal under international law. Under former president Joe Biden, the US described settlements as “illegitimate” and imposed sanctions on several Israeli settlers, freezing their US assets and barring Americans from dealing with them following growing reports of violence by settlers against Palestinians – including American citizens. Mr Trump reversed those sanctions soon after taking office.

Amr Mostafa contributed to this report