Trump drops US commitment to ‘two-state’ deal
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump halted Washington’s quest for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict yesterday, saying he would back a single state if it led to peace. The new president warmly welcomed Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House and hailed the “unbreakable” bond between their countries. And - while he urged Netanyahu to “hold back” from building Jewish settlements for a “little bit” Trump broke with the international consensus insisting on two states.
“So I’m looking at two state and one state, and I like the one that both parties like. I’m very happy with the one that both parties like. I can live with either one,” he said. “I thought for a while the twostate looked like it may be the easier of the two but, honestly, if Israel and the Palestinians are happy, I’m happy with the one they like the best.”
If this change in the US stance was calculated to please Netanyahu and his rightwing coalition, Trump’s views on the shortcomings of the Palestinian position will delight them. “I think the Palestinians have to get rid of some of that hate that they’re taught from a very young age,” he said, echoing Netanyahu’s argument that Palestinians are not ready for peace.
“They’re taught tremendous hate. I have seen what they’re taught... it starts in the school room, and they have to acknowledge Israel.”
Netanyahu had warm words for the US alliance, and hammered home his own prerequisites for peace. “First, the Palestinians must recognize the Jewish state. They have to stop calling for Israel’s destruction,” he said. “Second, in any peace agreement, Israel must retain the overriding security control over the entire area west of the Jordan River,” he added.
This area contains the entire West Bank area that would represent the heart of any Palestinian state as conceived in all previous international agreements. The change in the US stance, which was trailed overnight by a US official, triggered Palestinian despair and consternation in international capitals. The second ranking official in the Palestine Liberation Organization, Saeb Erekat, denounced it as an attempt to “bury the two state solution and eliminate the state of Palestine.” And he warned that any single state that emerged would lose Israel’s Jewish character. “There’s only one alternative,” he told a news conference. “A single democratic state that guarantees the rights of all: Jews, Muslims and Christians.”
The new US message deliberately echoed the longstanding Israeli position: No peace deal can be imposed from outside and the agenda for talks must reflect the reality on the ground. Naftali Bennett, the right-wing leader of the hardline Jewish Home party and an opponent of any Palestinian state cried victory. “A new era. New ideas. No need for third Palestinian state beyond Jordan and Gaza. Big day for Israelis and reasonable Arabs. Congrats,” he tweeted.
Speaking in Cairo after talks with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that “everything must be done” to preserve the twostate solution. France, which organized the January peace conference, was also unimpressed. Its ambassador to the UN, Francois Delattre told reporters “our commitment to the two-state solution is stronger than ever.” Trump has tapped son-in-law Jared Kushner and lawyer Jason Greenblatt to lead peace efforts. Kushner had dinner with Netanyahu - a longtime family friend - and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday night.
Israel sees Iran and its Lebanese ally the Hezbollah militia as the greatest threats in an unruly region, a view shared by the leaders of the main Sunni Arab states of the region. So yesterday, Netanyahu held out the prospect of a broader realignment, with the US and Israel partnering with Sunni Arab states in an antiIranian alliance. “I think that if we work together... on the great magnitude and danger of the Iranian threat, then I think we can roll back Iran’s aggression and danger,” Netanyahu said. “That’s something that is important for Israel, the Arab states, but I think it’s vitally important for America.” —AFP