Financial Times: Trump Shifts Stance on Two-State Solution to Israel-Palestine Conflict

In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump supported “really a great peace deal” and was noncommittal about the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. “The two-state solution, under which a Palestinian state would be formed alongside Israel in the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, has been a touchstone of US policy in the region since the signing of the Oslo accords in the early 1990s,” explains John Reed for the Financial Times. Trump said he would pursue a solution that would ““take in many countries and would cover a much larger territory,” and he also suggested that Israel “hold back” on building settlements in the West Bank. Conservatives talk about a larger regional strategy including Arabs and possibly using territory of other countries. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said other alternatives are unavailable, and Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, described dropping the two-state solution would be a tragedy for both sides. Reed points out the remarks are “likely to fuel confusion in the region.” The following day Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN, said the US remains committed to the two-state solution. – YaleGlobal