Trump two-state solution comments fall short — Palestinian official

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: A senior Palestinian official rejected US President Donald Trump’s comments in support of a two- state solution on Wednesday, saying his White House’s policies were destroying hopes of peace.

“Their words go against their actions and their action is absolutely clear ( and) is destroying the possibility of the two- state solution,” Husam Zomlot, head of the recently closed Palestinian mission in Washington, told AFP.

He added that Trump’s comments alone were not enough to bring the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

Speaking in New York on Wednesday alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump for the first time said explicitly that he backed a two- state solution that would create an independent Palestinian state.

“That’s what I think works best, that’s my feeling,” he said.

Zomlot pointed to the closure of the Palestinian mission in Washington, the cut in hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as evidence the Trump administration was not serious about achieving peace.

“Every action President Trump has made is in the opposite direction of the two- state solution,” he said.

The Palestinians have boycotted Trump’s administration since December, when he recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. — AFP