State Department says Israel 'occupied' West Bank and Gaza
A State Department spokesman said it is a "historical fact" that Israel occupied the Palestinian Territories in 1967 following a report from the department that retained some Trump administration language on the issue that is closer to Israel's position.
The US State Department clarified Wednesday that its view is that Israel “occupied” the Palestinian territories. The comments follow a report from the department that retained some Trump administration language indicating a more pro-Israel view from the United States on the issue.
On Tuesday, the State Department released its human rights report for 2020. The section on the West Bank and Gaza did not include the word “occupied” in its title. Under President Barack Obama, the report used the word “occupied” in the section header. However, the department dropped the term from the report title during the administration of President Donald Trump.
Tuesday’s report did say that it “covers the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem territories that Israel occupied during the June 1967 war.” The Israel section also says Israel “occupied” the Golan Heights in 1967, but noted the 2019 US recognition of the formerly Syrian-held territory as Israeli, as well as the 2017 US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Finally, the report said it "is not meant to convey a position on any final status issues,” including on “borders.”
