The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Monday denounced U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s visit to the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel in the occupied West Bank, calling his comments backing annexation a clear breach of international law.
In a statement, the ministry called Johnson's support of the annexation of the West Bank "provocative incitement that encourages settler crimes and land confiscation."
It said the speaker's stance "undermines Arab and American efforts to stop the war and cycle of violence, while flagrantly contradicting the declared U.S. position on settlements and settler violence."
Reaffirming that "all settlement activity is illegal and void," the ministry stressed that Israel's settlement expansion "destroys any remaining chance for a two-state solution and undermines prospects for peace."
Johnson visited Ariel city, the fourth-largest illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, according to Marc Zell, chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel.
