Israeli joy at Trump visit, but substance lacking

In a press conference with Abbas Tuesday morning, he reiterated, “I have committed to try to reach a peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians”, speaking only in general terms.

His visit came in stark contrast to President Barack Obama’s first Middle East trip eight years ago when Israelis accused him of shunning the Jewish state as he delivered a keynote speech in Egypt.

President Donald Trump talks to reporters before a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Monday, May 22, 2017, in Jerusalem.

So, while there is that cynicism, there are also people on both sides who think that actually Trump perhaps might be the one to seal the deal.

Noting how Trump did not mention Palestinian statehood or a two-state solution in his public remarks with Abbas, Knesset member Ofir Akunis (Likud) said, “This is a huge achievement, on a historic scale, and a big win for anyone opposed to the mistaken and unsafe idea of a Palestinian terror state in the heart of Israel“.

Mr. Abbas reiterated to Mr. Trump “our commitment to cooperate with you in order to make peace and forge a historic peace deal” and to become partners with the US against terrorism.

A longtime businessman, Trump has cast Middle East peace as the “ultimate deal” and has tasked son-in-law Jared Kushner and former real estate lawyer Jason Greenblatt with charting a course forward. As a result, the Likud ministers are already planning to build as much as they can in the West Bank.

“Our fundamental problem is with the occupation and settlements, and failure of Israel to recognize the state of Palestine in the same way we recognize it, which undermines the realization of the two-state solution”.

It is said that Trump tried to cast Iran as a common enemy to bring Israel and Arab states of the Persian Gulf closer, including Saudi Arabia.

– Clashes broke out between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces on Wednesday as Israeli demonstrators marched through the Old City of Jerusalem to mark the 50th anniversary of Israel’s capture of the city’s eastern half.

Under a 2016 agreement, Washington already bankrolls Israel’s military spending to the tune of $3.8 billion dollars annually over 10 years, making the Jewish state the top recipient of U.S. assistance.

This is not the first time Trump has used the epithet to describe terrorists.

Trump travelled to Saudi Arabia before Israel where he met King Salman.

Most Israelis had to go to work. He did not weigh in Israeli settlements, the status of Jerusalem or even whether the U.S. would continue to insist on a two-state solution giving the Palestinians sovereign territory. Others praised Melania for “joining the resistance” against the Trump administration. And in today’s attack it was mostly innocent children.

If confirmed as a terror incident, it would be the deadliest attack on British soil since the 2005 London bombings, which killed 52 people.

President Donald Trump is “putting a lot of pressure” on Israel and the Palestinians to restart peace talks, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.

“It’s so interesting that our meeting took place on this very awful morning of death to innocent young people”, Mr. Trump said.

Trump’s visit to Jerusalem has been laden with religious symbolism. Prior to going the Western Wall, he visited one of Christianity’s most sacred sites, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which some believe is the place where Jesus was crucified.

Several other presidents have visited the Western Wall, but none of those trips occurred while they were in office. He appeared to inadvertently confirm that he shared classified Israeli intelligence with Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak on May 10. No countries recognize the sovereignty of either party over the city. Trump was given a special copy to take back to the White House.

It later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the worldwide community and claims the entire city as its capital.

JOHN YANG: Missing from Mr. Trump’s comments?