WASHINGTON — In a newly published interview, incoming US President Donald Trump appeared to distance himself from his 2020 plan for a two-state solution and did not rule out the possibility of Israel annexing the West Bank.
When asked in the interview, conducted by Time magazine on Nov. 25 and published Thursday, whether he still supports a two-state solution, Trump said, “I support a plan of peace, and it can take different forms.” Pressed again, Trump gave the same answer, adding, “There are other ideas other than a two state, but I support whatever, whatever is necessary to get ... a lasting peace.”
In 2020, during his first term in office, Trump put forth a proposal to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict called “Peace to Prosperity.” The plan outlined autonomy for the Palestinians with the prospect of a state later on if certain conditions were met by the Palestinian Authority.
Now, the president-elect said he’d “like to see everybody be happy,” but provided no specifics about what the path to getting there may look like.
“I think that the Middle East is an easier problem to handle than what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine. ... The Middle East is going to get solved,” Trump told Time.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently in the Middle East, where he is set to discuss an Israel-Hamas ceasefire with leaders in the region. Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to advance the negotiations.
Trump has reportedly told Netanyahu he wants a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas prior to his taking office. Trump told Time that Netanyahu "feels confident in me, and I think he knows I want it to end."
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