The administration of US President Joe Biden refrained from describing the West Bank as ”occupied land” within its annual report about human rights, following the footsteps of former President Donald Trump’s administration. The US State Department indicated that the words used to describe Israel and the Palestinian territories do not reflect a position on any of the final status issues that will be negotiated by the parties of the conflict, whether it the borders of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, or the borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state – according to a paragraph of its published annual report. Responding to why did not the administration return to the formula that was in place before 2018, Lisa Peterson, the Principal Deputy Assistant of human rights at the US State Department, stated: “American diplomats preferred to adhere to geographic determinants only,” as the Trump administration abandoned to use the description of the West Bank as “occupied territory” in its previous reports. For further details, click here