US: We will impose sanctions on Israel

Friday July 24, 2009 13:37 by Katherine Orwell - 1 of International Middle East Media Center Editorial Group

The US state department stressed on Friday that President Obama is not at all considering to impose economic sanctions on Israel when it fails to comply with US demands to end construction in settlements. The US is also not willing to consider mounting international pressure on Israel.

The announcement came after the Israeli society had reacted in shock to comments made by a government spokesperson earlier.

A spokesperson had answered a question about whether the US was considering to impose sanctions, saying “It’s premature to talk about that”. To calm down the public storm in Israel, the US government now emphasized that it will not contemplate sanctions, even if Israel will not live up to US demands and continues to break international law.

International humanitarian law outlaws settlements by invaders in occupied territories, as it puts forward that it is illegal for a state to transfer its own population into the occupied territory.

"We are not contemplating such action," the state department spokesperson said, adding that "clearly, this is why George Mitchell is in the region today talking to all of the parties that we believe what they need to do is to set conditions, to resume negotiations so that all of these issues can be resolved through peaceful negotiations."

 Mitchell is said to arrive to the region on Sunday for a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, after the Israeli occupation government had cancelled meetings with him twice.