Jan. 3, 2020

The U.S. Is Keeping the Promise Made at San Remo in 1920 – Eugene Kontorovich
(Daily Alert, Jan. 3, 2020)

At San Remo in 1920, the international community promised the Jews a “national home” in Palestine, and an explicit right to “settle” throughout the territory, which included Judea and Samaria. It was left entirely up to the Jews to translate the international promises into facts on the ground, and in 1948 they partially did so, though with much of the territory, including the holy sites, falling to the Jordanians. After Israel retook these territories in 1967, much of the international community pretended its earlier guarantees did not exist.

    President Trump’s recognition of a united Jerusalem, and Secretary of State Pompeo’s conclusion that Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are not war crimes, represent a proper understanding of the legal significance of the League of Nations Mandate. More importantly, they are perhaps the first leaders who refuse to subordinate Israel’s legal rights to political blackmail from Arab states. The writer is a professor at George Mason University Law School and director of its Center for International Law in the Middle East. (Jerusalem Post)