In an interview with Time magazine, Trump became the first candidate in the 21st century to withdraw his support from the two-state idea for Israelis and Palestinians. “In the past I thought it was an idea that could succeed and many people supported it, but today fewer and fewer people support it and it has become more difficult to implement,” he said. Trump quoted a Palestinian claim and claimed: “When you ask them what they want, they say 'two states', but when Israel agrees they say 'we want everything'.”
In a rare manner, Trump admitted that he was wrong in his previous assessment and noted that he was impressed by the words of Republican philanthropist Sheldon Adelson who explained to him that the level of enmity and hatred in Palestinian education does not allow for a peaceful life alongside an Israeli state. “I argued with him, but it seems he wasn't wrong,” Trump concluded.
On the subject of Iran, Trump hinted that he would protect Israel if it was disturbed by Iran, even though during his previous term he avoided entering into new wars. “Yes, I will defend Israel,” he said. Trump praised his political opponent Benny Gantz and called him a “good man”, but refused to state his preference for Gantz or Netanyahu, instead hinting that Israel has “a lot of good people who can do the job”.
Follow us
