The State Department on Thursday appeared to describe the Trump administration’s Israel policies as part of the “Pompeo Doctrine” as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited a Jewish settlement on the West Bank.
A department statement said, according to journalists from CNN and PBS, that “[t]he Secretary’s visit highlights US government support of Israeli businesses in the West Bank to operate free from international sanctions as part of the Pompeo Doctrine.”
CBS News reporter Christina Ruffini reported that State Department officials told reporters traveling with Pompeo that it “is not a label they use, they’re just quoting the way it is commonly called in Israel,” although she reported Israeli officials denied using the term.
The State Department did not immediately comment to The Post on the term, but some political reporters noted that Pompeo-pushed policies on Israel generally are credited to President Trump.
Pompeo is a former CIA director and former Kansas congressman. He’s a West Point and Harvard Law School graduate and is considered by Republican insiders to be a likely future presidential candidate — an option Pompeo candidly confirmed he’s considered.
The top US diplomat is one of the closest Cabinet members to Trump, often lunching with him at the White House. He is reputed to be more of a foreign policy hawk than Trump on some areas, but they have worked together to boost US support for Israel, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and brokering diplomatic ties between Israel and three Arab countries.