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Netanyahu US visit: Donald Trump says he is 'open' to one-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict | Netanyahu US visit: Donald Trump says he is 'open' to one-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict |
(35 minutes later) | |
US President Donald Trump has suggested that he is open to the idea of a one state, rather than two state solution to the intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict. | US President Donald Trump has suggested that he is open to the idea of a one state, rather than two state solution to the intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict. |
Asked in a media conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday whether the US would continue its policy of support for both a Jewish and Palestinian state, Mr Trump said, "I'm looking at two state and and one state, and I like the one that both parties like." | |
"I thought the two state looked easier for a while," he added, before reaffirming he would let Israeli and Palestinian negotiators take the lead on the issue. | |
Mr Netanyahu also added that rather than deal with "labels" such as 'two state' or 'one state', he would like to work on "substance" in making peace with the Palestinians. | Mr Netanyahu also added that rather than deal with "labels" such as 'two state' or 'one state', he would like to work on "substance" in making peace with the Palestinians. |
Mr Trump also said that both sides would have to be prepared to make "compromises" for a lasting peace deal. | Mr Trump also said that both sides would have to be prepared to make "compromises" for a lasting peace deal. |
On Tuesday a White House official told reporters that while the new president was keen to broker a peace deal in the intractable conflict, a lasting solution may not be achieved through continuing to pursue the Palestinian dream of a recognised state. | |
“A two-state solution that doesn’t bring peace is not a goal that anybody wants to achieve. Peace is the goal, whether it comes in the form of a two-state solution, if that’s what the parties want, or something else," the senior official told reporters on condition of anonymity. | |
The Israeli prime minister arrived in Washington DC for a two-day visit on Wednesday, which marks the first meeting between the two men since Mr Trump won the US general election last November. | |
The two are old friends - a fact both reiterated during the presser. | |
Mr Trump said that there is an "unbreakable bond" between the two countries, calling Israel a "cherished ally." He is widely viewed in the country - and the wider Middle East - as far more sympathetic to Israeli interests, including the contentious issues of settlement building in the West Bank, than his predecessor Barack Obama. | |
Mr Netanyahu will also meet with both Republican and Democrat lawmakers during the trip. | |
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