New York: Mike Johnson, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, on Monday became the highest US official to visit the occupied West Bank, drawing criticism from Palestine.
The visit takes place amid the ongoing blockade of Gaza where reports point to heartbreaking starvation crisis among children.
Johnson arrived in Israel on Sunday on an announced visit along with other Republican lawmakers.
The speaker had a meeting with Israeli defence minister Israel Katz and foreign minister Gideon Saar.
Since former secretary of state Mike Pompeo’s visit in 2020 when Trump administration was drawing to a close in office, Johnson’s jaunt to the West Bank became the highest profile visit.
Johnson was accompanied by fellow Republican representatives Michael McCaul, Nathaniel Moran and Michael Cloud of Texas, and Claudia Tenney of New York, according to The Guardian.
The meeting according to the Guardian citing an Axios report was not an official congressional delegation but a private trip hosted by a pro-Israel advocacy group.
The pro-Palestinian website Common Dreams reported Johnson as stating on Monday that Israel was the ‘rightful owner’ of the disputed Palestinian territory.
‘The mountains of Judea and Samaria are the rightful property of the Jewish people,’ Johnson reportedly said, adding ‘the front line of the state of Israel, and must remain an integral part of it’.
Referring to announcements made by France and UK to recognize Palestinian state, Johnson said that ‘Even if the world thinks otherwise, we stand with you’.
The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the US official’s visit saying that Israel’s annexation of the West Bank was a ‘blatant violation of international law’.
Johnson is likely to meet Netanyahu before returning to the US on Sunday.