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CAIRO, Nov. 25-- Arab foreign ministers rejected on Monday a recent U.S. decision recognizing the Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian, and warned Israel against annexing the Jordan Valley and parts of the occupied West Bank. Following a meeting at the Cairo-based Arab League, the Arab foreign ministers said in a joint resolution that the U.S. decision is void, illegal, baseless and violates the UN Charter and relevant UN resolutions. On Nov. 18, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced 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 at a press conference that the decision, which reversed the Barrack Obama administration's position on the issue, had been made based on the "reality on the ground." After Pompeo's statements, the Palestinian Authority asked the Arab League to hold an emergency ministerial-level meeting to discuss and defy the U.S. position on Israeli settlements. Meanwhile, Arab ministers warned that the U.S. move poses a real threat to regional and international security, peace and stability. They also said the U.S. decision is meant to legalize and support Israel's settlement, "which may undermine the Arab peace initiative." The foreign ministers warned against "exploiting the illegal cover provided by unilateral U.S. decisions to encourage the Israeli government to ratify legislations aimed at annexing the Jordan Valley and parts of the occupied West Bank, intensifying settlement and Judaizing the occupied city of Jerusalem." | 
