4 reactions to US reversal of long-held stance on West Bank settlements

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Elizabeth Eaton

The Reverend Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, issued a statement saying she was “very disturbed” by the Pompeo announcement.

“The announcement, like earlier ones on the conflict, gives no evidence of having been developed in consultation with those who will be most adversely affected by this policy, namely the Palestinians in the occupied territory,” stated Eaton.

“Instead, it will give a ‘green light’ to further settlement activity and a worsening of the conditions of occupation, including intensified military and police measures and the further diversion of natural and other resources that benefit only settlers.”

Eaton was also concerned that the new position will “further distance the United States from the prevailing international consensus on the path toward a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including respecting human rights standards and international law.”