00:00After being frozen for decades, Israel has given its approval for the construction of the controversial E1 area of the West Bank that effectively is cutting off East Jerusalem from the West Bank.
00:18U.S. administrations have historically opposed the E1 development. Does the current administration still hold that opposition?
00:27We've not taken a position on that specific issue, but the Trump administration in its first term, and nothing has changed, has made it very clear that it is not a violation of international law for Israelis to live in Judea and Samaria.
00:42One of the reasons we're seeing the more aggressive decision to move into some of these areas is because it's in reaction to what the Europeans have done.
00:54In concert with the Palestinian Authority, pushing for a unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, pushing for this UN conference that's supposed to happen next month in New York at the UN.
01:07That has had a totally disastrous effect, not only on the tension in Judea and Samaria, but it's had a detrimental effect on resolving things in Gaza.
01:21So I don't know what the Europeans thought they were going to accomplish, but by their actions, they're accomplishing something that I don't think they wanted to do.
01:31And that is to essentially give a green light or encourage the Israelis to go ahead and take more pieces of Judea and Samaria, either by declaring sovereignty or annexation.
01:43I don't think that was their goal.
01:45But pushing for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state without the cooperation and participation of Israel is a violation of Oslo.
01:53So if there's going to be this massive violation of the Oslo agreement, then I think people have to prepare for the consequences of that on both sides of the conflict.
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