JERUSALEM (AP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s anticipated tour of a West Financial institution vineyard this week would be the first time a prime U.S. diplomat has visited an Israeli settlement, a parting present from an administration that has taken unprecedented steps to help Israel’s claims to war-won territory.

The Psagot vineyard, established partially on land the Palestinians say was stolen from native residents, is a part of a sprawling community of Israeli settlements within the occupied West Financial institution that many of the worldwide neighborhood views as a violation of worldwide legislation and a serious impediment to peace.

The award-winning vineyard, which presents excursions and occasion areas, is a spotlight of Israel’s efforts to advertise tourism within the occupied territory and a potent image of its struggle towards campaigns to boycott or label merchandise from the settlements.

Pompeo’s anticipated go to, reported by Israeli media however not formally confirmed, would mark a radical departure from previous administrations, each Democratic and Republican, which ceaselessly scolded Israel over settlement development — to little impact.

President Donald Trump has already damaged together with his predecessors by recognizing contested Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and repudiating the decades-old U.S. place that settlements are inconsistent with worldwide legislation. The administration has additionally acknowledged Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights, seized from Syria within the 1967 warfare, the place Pompeo might also pay a go to.

Trump’s Mideast plan, which overwhelmingly favored Israel and was instantly rejected by the Palestinians, would have allowed Israel to annex almost a 3rd of the West Financial institution, together with all of its settlements.

The go to to the vineyard — which launched a blended purple wine named for the secretary final 12 months — could be one more present to Israel within the closing weeks of Trump’s presidency, at the same time as neither Trump nor Pompeo have acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

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The go to might additionally burnish Pompeo’s credentials with evangelical Christians and different supporters of Israel ought to he pursue a post-Trump political profession.

The Falic household of Florida, house owners of the ever present chain of Obligation Free Americas retailers, is a serious investor within the vineyard. An Related Press investigation final 12 months discovered that the household has donated a minimum of $5.6 million to settler teams within the West Financial institution and east Jerusalem over the previous decade. Since 2000, they’ve donated a minimum of $1.7 million to pro-Israel politicians within the U.S., each Democrats and Republicans, together with Trump.

Israel captured the West Financial institution and east Jerusalem within the 1967 warfare, territories the Palestinians need for his or her future state. Since then, it has constructed some 130 settlements and dozens of smaller outposts, starting from clusters of cell houses on distant hilltops to totally developed cities. Over 460,000 Israeli settlers reside within the occupied West Financial institution and greater than 220,000 dwell in annexed east Jerusalem.

The Palestinians say the settlements make it almost unattainable to create a viable state — which was one of many foremost objectives of the settlers who established them.

The settlers, most of whom oppose a Palestinian state and examine Jerusalem and the West Financial institution because the biblical and historic coronary heart of Israel, say they’re the scapegoats for a long-standing method to fixing the battle that was by no means going to succeed.

“Extra vital than the place (Pompeo) goes to go to … is the message,” stated Oded Revivi, mayor of the Efrat settlement. “The message that he’s bringing with him is one in all not falling into the lure that (former U.S. President) Jimmy Carter has set of treating us as second-class residents, of seeing us as an impediment to peace.”

The Palestinians say lots of the settlements, together with Psagot and its vineyard, have been constructed on land stolen from non-public Palestinian house owners. The residents of the close by city of Al-Bireh — a lot of whom are Americans — say the settlement devoured up their land after Israel constructed a safety fence round Psagot throughout the Palestinian intifada, or rebellion, within the early 2000s.

Kainat and Karema Quraan, two sisters from Al-Bireh, say they’ve paperwork exhibiting they personal a plot of land on which among the vineyards and a vineyard constructing have been established.

“Think about that your individual land, your property, that you simply lived off of and your ancestors lived off of, is taken like this by strangers, by drive, and you’ll’t contact it,” Kainat stated.

Yaakov Berg, the chief govt of the vineyard, didn’t reply to requests for remark.

Muneef Traish, an Al-Bireh metropolis council member who has U.S. citizenship, has led a authorized marketing campaign for years on behalf of the neighborhood in search of the return of the confiscated lands. He stated the settlers seized a complete of 1,000 dunams (250 acres), 400 of that are being utilized by the vineyard.

Final November, the European Court docket of Justice dominated that European international locations should label merchandise originating within the settlements. The choice got here after the Psagot vineyard, which produces 600,000 bottles a 12 months and exports 70% of them, challenged an earlier ruling.

Israel lashed out on the resolution to make the labels obligatory, saying it was unfair, discriminatory and would embolden the Palestinian-led boycott motion towards Israel.

Every week after the ruling, Pompeo introduced that the U.S. not considers Israeli settlements within the West Financial institution to be a violation of worldwide legislation, reversing 4 a long time of American coverage.

To precise its gratitude, Psagot launched a brand new wine referred to as “Pompeo,” a mix of cabernet sauvignon, syrah and merlot.

“The U.S. administration’s message is extraordinarily vital and strengthens our ongoing struggle towards the boycott and hypocrisy marketing campaign,” Berg, the CEO of the vineyard, stated on the time. “We are going to proceed this simply and ethical battle.”

A really totally different battle is underway in Al-Bireh, the place metropolis councilman Traish and different residents plan to protest Pompeo’s go to to the encroaching settlement.

“We wish to say to Pompeo that as an alternative of asking Israel to return the land to Americans, you’re right here to rejoice the occupation,” he stated.

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Related Press author Mohammed Daraghmeh in Al-Bireh, West Financial institution, contributed to this report.