In While House meeting with defense minister and deputy crown prince, U.S. president tries to enlist Saudi Arabia’s support for efforts to achieve regional solutions.
By Barak Ravid and Amir Tibon, HAARETZ
U.S. President Donald Trump told the Saudi defense minister, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, during a meeting at the White House, he has a “strong desire” to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the White House said in a statement Wednesday.
Trump made the comments as his special envoy, Jason Greenblatt, has continued to conduct talks in Israel and with officials from the Palestinian Authority in an effort to restart peace talks on the conflict.
Prince Bin Salman is considered a highly influential figure in Saudi Arabia at this time. The fact that Trump raised the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his meeting with the prince is an indication of his wish to obtain backing from Saudi Arabia for efforts to advance the peace process and of his desire to have the Saudis involved in regional matters. The White House statement said that Trump expressed a desire to continue contacts with Saudi Arabia to enlist the kingdom’s support for efforts to achieve solutions on regional issues.
Trump administration envoy Greenblatt had additional meetings on Wednesday with Israeli and Palestinian officials. In the company of the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Yoav Mordechai, he also toured the vicinity of the Allenby Bridge, which links the West Bank and Jordan, and toured Area C, the portion of the West Bank under full Israel control. Before leaving Israel, Trump’s envoy is expected to meet on Thursday with Netanyahu again to discuss reaching agreement on limitations to West Bank Jewish settlement construction.
On Wednesday morning, Greenblatt met with President Reuven Rivlin and discussed efforts to revive the peace process. A statement released by the President’s Residence said that Rivlin emphasized at the meeting that “confidence-building measures between Israelis and Palestinians were a critical first step in advance of any possible agreement.”
Rivlin and Greenblatt both spoke about how the security of Israel and its citizens was also a critical and fundamental requirement. Rivlin told Greenblatt the he is prepared to assist on any matter in which it is required to promote dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians.
In the course of the day on Wednesday, Greenblatt visited Palestinian forces’ main training base in Jericho, which was established with American funding. He met with several senior Palestinian security officials and noted that the American assistance is designed to help the Palestinians fight terrorism and to provide security to both Palestinians and Israelis.
On Tuesday, Greenblatt made a rare visit to the Jilazoun refugee camp near Ramallah, where he met with the camp’s residents. He also visited the West Bank city of Bethlehem, where he met with Palestinian university students from the West Bank.
On Wednesday, Greenblatt arrived in Jordan for a meeting with King Abdullah II in Amman. Greenblatt told the Abdullah that reaching a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians would have a positive effect on the Middle East, and stressed that Jordan has an important role in restarting negotiations between the sides.
King Abdullah told Trump’s envoy that the United States plays a key role in ending the diplomatic gridlock and resuming peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians on the basis on the two-state solution, which he said was the only viable solution to the conflict. Achieving just and comprehensive peace, which will entail the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, would bring security and stability to the region, the king said.
@ MELECH david:”Oh. That’s different. Never mind.”
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/emilys-editorial-reply/n8635?snl=1 (humor)
I would like to see public debates between Jonathan and Jason Greenblatt. Why should I be the only confused one.
Sebastien Zorn Said:
sorry jason not jonathan Greenblatt
Are these liberals stupid? Dialogue towards what end? Have the Pals deviated from the following even once?
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ten-point-plan-of-the-plo-june-1974
This is from the most recent article in Israpundit about American LIberal Jews spurring anti-semitism with their anti-Trump partisanship. Unless it’s somebody else with the same name, why is Greenblatt Trump’s envoy?
How are the Palis going to create a State? With what?
They are still stuck in the Seven Century!
They depend on Western Donors in addition
of being ripped-off by their own corrupt leaders.
This largesse is not eternal!
It seems to me there is a paragraph missing at the end of the aricle.
In response to Israeli critics that called on the UNRWA population in Judea and Samarea to “go back where you came from”, King Abdullah II proposed himself leading all the residents of Jordan and those under the administration of the Palestinian Authority to their new ‘promissed land’ in Hijaz the way Moses had led the people Israel from Egypt. Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman supported this proposal, saying it would be a pleasure for the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to create a Palestinian state on its territory as the Hashemite Palestinain kingdom of Hijaz. He called on all Muslims to support this, and also welcoming residents of Gaza who may want to join this exodus. A spokesperson for the Iranian Government confirmed that Iran is prepared to partially fund this great Muslim enterprise, and offered transportation support.
In more than a century of the Zionist enterprise, Arabs made no concessions while the Jews gave way continuously. Triumphant return to the Promised Land immediately degenerated into buying land from Arabs; that’s not what Joshua ben Nun did. When the Ottomans titled unused land in the coastal plains, Arab notables rather than Jews got it through legal machinations; speak of Jewish lawyers and simpleton Arabs. Jews settled mostly the lowlands without significant Arab presence, drained marshes and cultivated sand dunes instead of claiming the land from aborigines. Jews did not significantly protest when the British stole most of the land they guaranteed us in return for our support in WWI and established Jordanian princeling in two-thirds of Palestine. Jews accepted yet another partition in 1947 which created a second Palestinian state beside Jordan. Jews won every war with Egypt but returned Sinai, a place where Hebrews received the law which molded them into a nation and a place of critical strategic importance to Israel. Jews prevailed in every conflict against Syria and now all but accepted to return the strategically indispensable Golan Heights. Palestinians – an insignificant enemy – pressed Israel for sweeping concessions even while they keep shelling Jewish towns. The Arabs did not give way on a single issue.
Arabs protested Jewish settlement of Palestine; most Jews were unsympathetic to Zionist idea. Arabs always rejected massive Jewish presence while Zionist leaders implored Arabs to stay in the Jewish state. Sadat pressed Begin to evacuate Jewish towns from Sinai; Sharon concurred then and demolished Jewish villages in Gaza years later. Arabs refuse to accept Jews in their countries, but successfully insist that swarms of Arabs be citizens of the Jewish state.
The Arabs consider the land rightfully theirs and fight for it. Smart and critical Jews rejected religion and doubt their right to the land. The balance of will favors the righteous.
The Palis Israel conflict has nothing to do with any other conflict in the region and beyond. Nothing…..even if some deal could be made it would not effect anything else…. No Arab country gives a damn about the Palsi except as a tool weapon to weaken and eventually defeat Israel…. An agreement will not reduce terrorism as groups militantly opposing Israel today will oppose even if there is a deal. Israel will not reduce her military burden, financially or in manpower. The Palis do not want to be inundated with refugees from Lebanon, Syria and Jordan…. unskilled unemployable and even criminal. They can’t employ their own people without the refugees. Much of the financial support for them would dry up as the world would lose interest in them. They have yet to demonstrate they are capable of self governance. Leadership totally corrupt and hated by the people. No deal within any borders can be considered secure… Only the freedom of IDF and Shin Bet in all of Y&S has kept the lid on most of the terrorist plots and initiatives. We would be creating a Giant Gaza and we have seen what giving up control has brought us. Finally neither party really wants peace but only to maintain status quo.. Only idiots like Trump thinks he can make the deal nobody else can… what hubris….
Creation of a perpetual motion machine would be a great achievement.
For a critical first step, we need confidence-building measures between engineeres and scientists to show that the laws of thermodynamics are all wrong.