New Delhi, India

Mike Pompeo, the former United States secretary of state, has made a controversial statement regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict as he said in a podcast that Israel has a ‘biblical’ claim to Palestine. Pompeo, who is considering running for the US presidential election, also called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a "known terrorist". On the One Decision podcast, which was released on Thursday (February 16), Pompeo mentioned his religious beliefs and also talked about America's strategic interests when it comes to Israel and Palestine. 

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He said, "[Israel] is not an occupying nation. As an evangelical Christian, I am convinced by my reading of the Bible that 3,000 years on now, in spite of the denial of so many, [this land] is the rightful homeland of the Jewish people." 

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His comments can be seen as a reflection of the shift in US policy away from mediating a two-state solution. Pompeo also referred to the Palestinian president by his nickname, Abu Mazen and slammed the Obama administration for its negotiations with Abbas. 

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The conflict started after Jewish leaders declared the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 when British rulers left without solving the issue. The move was opposed by Palestinians and a war followed when troops from neighbouring Arab countries invaded. 

While mentioning how the Trump administration approached the issue, Pompeo said, "Our theory of the case was this — what is in America's best interest? Is it to sit and wait for Abu Mazen, a known terrorist who's killed lots and lots of people, including Americans, and given those martyrs money, for having done so?"

He added, "We said that's just not in America's best interest." 

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Pompeo referred to the West Bank by its Israeli name of Judea and Samaria.

He said, "In the meantime, we should look out for Europe and America and make sure we are helping these nations get towards the right place, and we want good things for everyone, including those folks who live in Judea and Samaria." 

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