The US administration has declared that Israeli settlements do not contravene international law, ending in this way with a 40-year American position of considering those as illegitimate. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that “the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with international law”, adding that the status of the West Bank was for Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate. The EU has reacted to the announcement reaffirming its commitment to the UN Security Council Resolution 2234 and stating that their position with regards to the illegality of the settlements will not change. The decision has taken place one week after the European Union Court of Justice ruled that products made in Israeli settlements must be identified by EU countries on their labels. In the opinion of the court, “consumers have no way of knowing, in the absence of any information capable of enlightening them in that respect, that a foodstuff comes from a locality or a set of localities constituting a settlement established in one of those territories in breach of the rules of international humanitarian law”. The ruling was initiated after France’s top tribunal seek for clarification on the labelling policy in 2016. The decision was praised by human rights groups and Saeb Erekat, Secretary-General of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and was heavily criticized from the Israeli side, accusing the court of “antisemitism” and calling EU member states to ignore the ruling. The announcement is also influenced by the growing controversy inside Israel with regards to a possible government headed by Benny Gantz which will receive the support of the Joint Arab List. The Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has expressed his opposition to such a government while Netanyahu has labelled it as “an existential threat”.