RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) – Having declared that finding a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict is “maybe not as difficult as people have thought,” President Donald Trump will make his first visit to Israel with few concrete ideas of solving a problem that has vexed presidents for decades.
Trump, fresh off two days in Saudi Arabia, will journey to Jerusalem on Monday and his stay will include separate meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Trump also planned to visit the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem and the Western Wall, an important key Jewish holy site.
While hosting Abbas at the White House in March, Trump boldly stated that achieving peace is “something that I think is, frankly, maybe not as difficult as people have thought over the years.”
“But we need two willing parties,” he continued. “We believe Israel is willing. We believe you’re willing. And if you both are willing, we’re going to make a deal.”
White House aides have tried to play down expectations for significant progress on the peace process during Trump’s stop, casting it as more symbolic than substantive. Yet Trump may still need to engage in some delicate diplomacy following revelations that he disclosed highly classified intelligence Israel obtained about the Islamic State group with top Russian officials, without Israel’s permission.