Israel’s non-stop construction of illegal settler units in occupied Palestinian territories has always been a highly contentious issue, and seen by many as the major roadblock to peace in the Middle East. Although the general policy of the US government has always been to fully support the regime in Tel Aviv and its policies, Washington has on some occasions joined the international chorus against the Israeli settlements. The Obama administration even refused to veto a UN Security Council Resolution condemning the Israeli settlements. With a new administration installed in Washington, all eyes are now on the White House to see how it will approach the sensitive issue. During his campaign trail, President Donald Trump had supported the expansion of settlement activities. Press TV has interviewed two experts to ask whether they believe Trump will stick to that line on Israeli settlements.

Kevin Barrett, an editor with Veterans Today, said that American politicians, media and financial system are under the influence of Zionist lobbies who throw their weight behind Israeli crimes against Palestinians.

The Zionist lobby exerts full control over all key sectors in the United States from the political process to Hollywood, media and the financial structure, he noted.

Barrett believes that the Zionist power configuration owns the entire Washington DC.

Half of the funding for the US election campaign, he said, came from the Zionists who bribe their way through the American political process so as to prevent the adoption of practical measures against Israel.

The Zionist lobby prevents the US from enforcing anti-settlement policies by threatening to cut off all financial aid, he added.

The analyst argued that US officials, including Obama, may have expressed their opposition to Israeli settlements in words, but they have never really committed themselves to putting an end to Israel’s expansionism and working out a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In practice, he said, the White House has been supporting the Tel Aviv regime for decades.

He exclaimed as to why Israel has been able to continue to ethnically cleanse Palestine and build settlements in blatant disregard for the unanimous international point of view, hinting that it became possible due to Washington’s all-out support.

The commentator said “the US needs a revolution to overthrow the Zionist power configuration” which controls the American decision-making process.

Barrett said President Trump’s support for Israeli settlement activities would come as no surprise to him, because the president himself and his team have been backed by the Zionist lobby all along.

According to the analyst, whereas many US politicians support the extremist and expansionist policies of the Tel Aviv regime, most of the American Jewish population and a big segment of Israelis are against the “endless ethnic cleansing” and illegal settlement expansion in Palestinian territories.

Criticizing Israel for denying Palestinians’ the right to live, vote and pray freely in their ancient territory, Barrett said that most Palestinians are being subjugated.

Israelis even intend to destroy al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest monuments in the Islamic world, and turn East Jerusalem al-Quds into their so-called capital.

He also warned that the globe is “facing the possibility of World War III because of the seizure of power by a group of extremists.”

Meanwhile, Lawrence J. Korb, a US foreign policy and national security analyst from Washington, opined that former president Obama was “not anti-Israel.”

Obama’s refusal to veto a UN resolution against Israel’s settlement constructions confused some to the point that they concluded the Obama administration was anti-Israel.

Korb explained that by doing so, Obama in fact sent a message to the Israelis that continuing the settlement projects would not be in their interest.

The analyst noted that Trump has already backed off on some of his positions and his cabinet may urge him to continue the previous administration’s policy on settlements.

He said, if Trump “can get a deal that satisfies both the Israelis and the Palestinians, he will push for it.”

Korb also referred to a speech by former secretary of state John Kerry when he said that Israel can be Jewish or democratic not both, adding that a lot of Palestinians and non-Jews who live in the occupied territories do not have the right to vote.

The majority of younger Jewish people do not support these anti-Palestinian policies that some of the older Israeli politicians do, he said.

Under the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories, millions of Palestinians are living in conditions which resemble the apartheid regime in South Africa. The Palestinian people have no right to free speech, assembly or movement. The Israeli regime imprisons Palestinians without charge or trial and demolishes their homes in clear violation of international laws.

Biography



Biography Kevin Barrett



He is host of



He also has appeared many times on Fox, CNN, PBS and other broadcast outlets, and has inspired feature stories and op-eds in the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, the Chicago Tribune, and other leading publications.



Dr. Barrett has taught at colleges and universities in San Francisco, Paris, and Wisconsin; where he ran for Congress in 2008. He currently works as a nonprofit organizer, author, and talk radio host. Dr. Kevin Barrett, a Ph.D. Arabist-Islamologist, is one of America’s best-known critics of the War on Terror.He is host of TRUTH JIHAD RADIO ; a hard driving weekly radio show funded by listener donations at Patreon.com and FALSE FLAG WEEKLY NEWS (FFWN) ; a audio-video show produced by Tony Hall, Allan Reese, and Kevin himself. FFWN is funded through FundRazr He also has appeared many times on Fox, CNN, PBS and other broadcast outlets, and has inspired feature stories and op-eds in the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, the Chicago Tribune, and other leading publications.Dr. Barrett has taught at colleges and universities in San Francisco, Paris, and Wisconsin; where he ran for Congress in 2008. He currently works as a nonprofit organizer, author, and talk radio host.