Comment: The US decision to recognize Israeli settlements has, predictably, emboldened the Israeli settlers to repeat their call for an all-out annexation of West Bank:

The effective endorsement of Jewish settlements in the West Bank by the United States on Monday became the latest in a string of explicitly pro-Israel moves by the Trump administration.

Mike Pompeo's bombshell announcement on Jewish settlements has invigorated settler leaders in Israel, who are now calling on their government to annex Palestinian territory.

Oded Revivi, a lawyer in charge of the settlement of Efrat and spokesman for the Yesha umbrella group, has urged Tel Aviv to extend its sovereignty onto the lands.

"Settlement is not a crime and it is not an obstacle to peace," he said, as quoted by The Times of Israel, adding that US envoy to Israel David Friedman had lobbied for the move.

Yisrael Gantz, chair of the Binyamin Regional Council, which governs 46 Israeli settlements in the West Bank, described the announcement as a "major step toward [Israeli] sovereignty [in the West Bank]."

He similarly called on the government to annex "Judea and Samaria", as the West Bank is officially designated in Israel.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a dramatic statement on Monday that the United States would no longer abide by a 1978 State Department legal opinion that Jewish settlements in the West Bank violate international law.

The United Nations, in a number of resolutions, has called those settlements illegal, pointing out that they were set up within territories which were occupied during a war. As much as 138 of the 193 UN member states have recognised Palestinian statehood, including the overwhelming majority of nations in Asia, Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe. Palestinians, meanwhile, want the West Bank to comprise their future state, and argue that the sprawling Jewish settlements would effectively kill off this plan.

Despite objections from the UN, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long pushed for the establishment of more settlements in those territories, citing historic ties with the West Bank and security reasons, and campaigned on a pledge to annex parts of the West Bank. He said on Monday that the US move "rights a historical wrong" but didn't reaffirm his annexation promise.

The Trump administration has openly cast doubt on the viability of the two-state solution, which had been the core of American policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the past several decades, and has made a number of pro-Israel police decisions during the past two years. In a show of support for the Netanyahu government, Trump moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thus recognising it as the capital of Israel, and declared the disputed Golan Heights as part of the Jewish State.

The new American policy has raised more questions about the success of Trump's plan for peace between Israel and Palestinians, which includes a series of economic and political measures, but excludes a two-state solution.

Comment: The extradition is not yet assured. Though late in the race, a group of Australian politicians have announced that they will advocate for Assange's return to Australia. How this will play out in the attempted extradition is yet to be seen. Assange is amassing support from around the world with many organizing events and rallies to raise awareness of his cause and support for his release sending a loud and clear message that the public will not tolerate Julian Assange and Wikileaks being silenced.

• Well known whistleblowers and journalists defend Julian Assange in online vigil.

The Australian Senate for Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee claimed in October, 2019, that Assange has refused Australian Consular services and has withdrawn consent for information to be shared with the Australian High Commissioner in the UK despite repeatedly being offered assistance. If true, this may indicate that Assange is wary of Australian assistance given that they are US allies and that they may support a charge of Espionage or at least not attempt to interfere with the extradition or the judicial process.

• Australian government officials spotted in mysterious Assange visit.

The above prediction of Paul Rosenzweig, former Homeland Security official that "Some of Assange's supporting hacktivists are identified, arrested, extradited, tried and ultimately convicted: 70-80 percent" it seems almost certain that Julian Assange is courageously holding out to protect others. This will only increase the respect of his supporters and those that do not agree with any form of suppression of journalistic reporting.

Comment: See also:

• The BBC: Protecting Pedophiles and War Criminals Since 2004
• Colluding in war crimes: Britain's unreported military alliance with Israel
• The Guardian's collusion with Britain's Secret Service

And check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Perfidious Albion: If Russia is a Rogue State, What is the UK?

Comment: Update: RT, 18/11/2019: Outrage erupts over 'legalization' of still-illegal Israeli settlements in West Bank

Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders slammed Trump for "isolating the United States and undermining diplomacy by pandering to his extremist base" in a tweet.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini renewed calls for Israel to "end all settlement activity, in line with its obligations as an occupying power," following the announcement. An EU court ruled last week that all goods originating in Israeli settlements must be labeled as such.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi warned the move would have "dangerous consequences" on the possibility of peace in the Middle East.

Others pointed out that aiding and abetting a breach of international law made the US complicit in Israel's crimes.

"Trump can't wipe away with this announcement decades of established international law that Israeli settlements are a war crime," Human Rights Watch's Kenneth Roth tweeted, adding "Trump doesn't read, but we do," and pointing to Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Some commenters wondered at who the move was supposed to appeal to, since "US Jews massively reject Trump." A few mused whether this might be the straw that breaks the camel's back regarding a backlash against Israel.

Others merely snarked at the mushy headlines US media used to cover the announcement.

Of course, not everybody was upset - Israeli settler leaders stepped up calls for annexing the West Bank.

Comment: More from Breitbart 18/11/2019: Two witnesses with exculpatory evidence left out of hearings

The House Intelligence Committee's witness list for this week's public hearings in the "impeachment inquiry" omits two witnesses whose closed-door sessions last month provided exculpatory evidence for President Donald Trump. Neither of the two witnesses were on Republicans' proposed list; they were called by Democrats behind closed doors.

One witness, Catherine Croft, the special adviser at the National Security Council (NSC) for Ukraine negotiations, offered at least two pieces of evidence that tend to help Trump's argument that he did nothing wrong.

First, Croft testified that the hold on aid to Ukraine this past summer was not the first. In fact, the White House had held up military aid in late 2017 — partly because of concern about antagonizing Russia, but also because of general concerns about corruption. Croft testified, Trump had rebuked then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in front of his delegation:

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Second, Croft testified that the Obama administration had been aware of concerns about Hunter Biden and Burisma:

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She also testified that Vice President Biden was "very engaged in Ukraine policy" at the time his son had been appointed.

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Croft's predecessor, Christopher Anderson also confirmed that there were concerns within the Obama administration about Hunter Biden serving on the board of Burisma:

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Another witness, Under Secretary of State for Diplomatic Affairs David Hale, is scheduled to testify this week even though his transcript has not been released.

Comment: Bait and switch has limited effectiveness. Kim knows this. Does Trump?