(Via Arutz Sheva, by David Rosenberg)
On Friday, Israel Hayom published an
interview with President Donald Trump, the first he has granted to an Israeli
media outlet since taking office in January.
The interview was released just hours after President Trump dined
with Israel Hayom owner
and GOP donor Sheldon Adelson at the White House Thursday evening.
In the interview, the president, who is slated to meet with Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu next week, praised the Israeli premier, but said he
felt the recent announcements of housing projects in Judea and Samaria did not
improve the prospects for peace in the region.
“I know Israel very well,” said Trump, “and I respect it; I want
to get peace between Israel and the Palestinians and even more than that.”
President Trump said on his relationship with
Netanyahu: We've always had good chemistry, and he is a good man. He wants
to do the right thing for Israel. He would like peace; I believe that he wants
peace and wants to have it badly. I have always liked him."
But, Trump continued, he did not understand how expansion of
Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria would promote peace.
“There is limited land left, and every time you take land for
settlements, there’s less land left. I’m not someone who believes that
advancing the settlements is good for peace. But we’re checking all the
possibilities.”
Regarding America’s relationship with Israel, the president
predicted that ties between the two countries would strengthen, claiming that
the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama White House had brought
relations with Israel to a nadir.
“We’ll have better relations with Israel. The agreement with Iran
was a disaster for Israel, it’s unbelievable, both in terms of how it was
negotiated and the way it was implemented. Everything about this deal is
terrible. As a businessman I know how to tell a bad deal from a good deal. This
deal is impossible to understand. I can’t understand it. And you can see how
Iran is behaving: instead of thanking Obama, who was so biased in their favor,
they acted arrogantly even before he left the White House. It’s a shame this
deal was made.”
Trump also said despite his disagreement with Israel over the
expansion of Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria, he would not condemn Israel.
“I don't want to condemn Israel. Israel has a long history of
condemnations and challenges. I don't want to condemn Israel during my
administration. I understand Israel very well and respect it very much.
Israelis have gone through very difficult periods. I want peace between
Israelis and Palestinians and even more than that. I think peace for Israel
would be great for Israel, not just good."
When asked whether he planned to fulfill his campaign pledge to
relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, the president said he was still considering
the issue.
"I want Israel to behave sensibly during the peace process,
that it should come after so many years. And maybe there will even be the
chance for a bigger peace than just an Israeli-Palestinian [deal]. I want both
sides to behave reasonably, and we'll have better chances that way.
"I'm thinking about it. I'm learning the subject, and we'll
see what happens. It's not an easy decision. It's already been debated for
years. No one didn't want to make the decisions, and I'm thinking very seriously
about it."
President Trump reiterated his optimism regarding the prospects
for a comprehensive Middle East peace, though he acknowledged that many of his
own advisers have suggested such an achievement is impossible.
"No deal is good if it's not good for both sides. Right now
we're in a process that's lasted for years, decades. A lot of people think that
it is impossible to do this [to reach a final status agreement], a lot of smart
people around me say it is impossible to reach an agreement. I don't agree with
them. I think that it is possible to reach an agreement, and we need to reach
an agreement."
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