U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Monday that the U.S. government will no longer consider Israel's West Bank settlements inconsistent with the international law, a move that may further dim the future of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Pompeo said in a press conference that the decision, which reversed the Obama administration's position on the issue, had been made based on the reality on the ground.

Pompeo's remarks were seen as the latest act by the Trump administration to take side with Israel, following its widely criticized recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017 and the official relocation of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem in 2018.

The last round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed in 2014, mainly over Israel's continuing expansion of the settlements in the West Bank.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)