President backs away from US commitment to Palestinian state
DONALD TRUMP said yesterday that he was open to a “one-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – appearing to distance himself from a decades-long US commitment to supporting a separate Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Speaking next to Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, ahead of their first meeting at the White House, Mr Trump was asked if he supported a two-state solution or a onestate deal in seeking to bring an end to the long-running conflict.
“I’m looking at two-state and at onestate and I like the one that both parties like,” Mr Trump said.
“I can live with either one. I thought for a while the two-state looked like it may be the easier of the two, but honestly if [Mr Netanyahu] and if the Palestinians, if Israel and the Palestinians are happy, I’m happy with the one they like the best.”
Mr Trump’s openness to a one-state solution is a break from the policies of Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton, all of whom tried to broker a peace deal that would lead to the creation of two separate states.
The two-state policy, which is embraced by the Palestinian leadership and most of the international community, envisions creating an independent state of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza in return for Israel being allowed to live in safety and security.
The one-state policy, which is supported by the Israeli Right, imagines that Israel will be the only state and that Palestinians will either become citizens of Israel or else live under permanent occupation without voting rights.
Palestinian leaders want an independent state of their own and have warned that a one-state solution in which Palestinians are not granted full citizenship would be a modern version of apartheid.
Many Israelis fear that giving Palestinians citizenship would mean that Israel might eventually no longer have a Jewish majority and would, therefore, cease to be a Jewish state.
Polls show that a narrow majority of both Israelis and Palestinians favour a two-state solution.
Mr Netanyahu declared his openness to a Palestinian state in a highprofile speech in 2009, but since then he appears to have backed away from the idea of a two-state solution.
He refused to say which plan he supported yesterday, saying: “Rather than deal with labels, I want to deal with substance.”
Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls Gaza, rejects a two-state solution and refuses to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist, but the internationally recognised Palestinian leadership in the West Bank formally recognised Israel in 1993.
While Mr Trump spoke warmly about Israel and the Israeli prime minister, he also urged it to hold off on expanding settlements while the US was still formulating its policy.
“I’d like to see you hold back on settlements for a little bit,” Mr Trump said.
He also warned Mr Netanyahu that “both sides will have to make compromises” in order to achieve a deal.
Mr Netanyahu is under pressure from Right-wing parties in his own coalition government to expand settlements.
He said he hoped that the United States and Israel would reach an understanding on the issue so “we don’t keep on bumping into each other all the time”.
Mr Trump promised during his election campaign that he would move the US embassy to Jerusalem, but has deferred on making a decision since taking office. “We’re looking at it with great care, great care, believe me,” he said.
Both Mr Clinton and George W Bush made similar promises when they were elected, but ultimately decided against moving the embassy out of fear of causing a backlash among Palestinians and elsewhere in the Islamic world.
‘I can live with either one. If Israel and the Palestinians are happy, I’m happy with the one they like the best’