Sen. Cruz Applauds Trump Administration for Reversing False Stance That Israeli Settlements Are Illegal

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement in response to the Trump administration's decision to recognize the reality of Israeli control over communities in territories Israel has controlled since June 1967:

"For too long, the United States has been slow to acknowledge the basic reality that our Israeli allies have sovereignty over their territories, and today the administration took steps to right that wrong. It's up to our Israeli allies to make their own decisions about what to do with their territories.

"Today's decision also takes another step in reversing the disgraceful legacy of the Obama administration and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334. That resolution falsely denied Israel's sovereignty over its territories, including the Jewish Quarter and Old City of Jerusalem, and called on all U.N. states to do the same. I have long pushed for policies that demonstrate to the world that the United States considers Resolution 2334 null and void, and the Trump administration has taken several such steps, including by moving our embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Today's announcement is another welcome move discarding that shameful resolution."

Sen. Cruz has long called for the United States to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, as well as Israel's sovereignty over its territories, including the Golan Heights. Sen. Cruz attended the opening ceremony of the United States' embassy in Jerusalem and penned an op-ed for the Jerusalem Post marking the historic occasion.

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