Brokering Peace Calls for Vision, Strategy, Determination and Action — APN to Trump

US President Donald Trump today said that he is committed “to do everything” to achieve Israel-Palestinian peace deal but made it clear that “peace can not take root in an environment where violence is tolerated, funded and even rewarded”. Both sides will face tough decisions.

In its official itinerary for Trump’s visit to Israel and the disputed territories, the White House referred to Abbas as the leader of “Palestine”, which could be construed as a form of recognition of an independent Palestinian state.

Protests against supposed American support of the Israeli occupation were organised across the West Bank and Gaza, and one Palestinian faction called for a “day of rage” during the U.S. delegation’s trip, leading Israel to deploy an extra 10,000 security forces on its streets. The Israeli leader, during brief remarks, referenced some of Trump’s statements during his meeting with Abbas, But he did not mention a peace pact with Palestinian leaders.

But while Trump said earlier this month that he believed brokering peace is “maybe not as hard as people have thought”, he measured his comments on Tuesday.

Trump added that dealmaking “is what I do”.

At the museum, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Mr. Trump for his “steadfast friendships to the Jewish people and the Jewish state”.

“The government of Israel strongly condemns last night’s awful terrorist attack in Manchester“.

The Israeli right welcomed the lack of reference to two- state solution or creation of a Palestinian state in Trump’s speech much to the disappointment of several Palestinians.

Before private talks with the Israeli leader, Trump also took the occasion to deny that when he was meeting with top Russian diplomats in Washington earlier this month he had unmasked Israel as the U.S.’s clandestine source for highly classified information about a potential Islamic State airplane terrorist attack.

Trump has made an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal a major goal of his time in office.

Trump told him his administration believes that ‘peace is possible if we put aside the pain and disagreements of the past and commit together to finally resolving this crisis, which has dragged on for almost half a century or more’.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday spoke at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, where he delivered a stern warning to Iran about calling for Israel’s destruction.

Trump called America’s security cooperation with Israel “bigger than ever”, and a difference from the Obama administration.

Just a few hours after visiting the Western Wall, the background image of Trump’s personal Twitter account was changed to feature a photo of the president with his hand on the Kotel.

He said that a prerequisite for a regional coalition would be to recognize Israel’s positive contribution “to the region and the world” in culture, business, innovation and other fields.

The White House live feed of the president’s remarks in a west Jerusalem location on Monday was identified as coming from Jerusalem, Israel. Some of the most influential members of the Israeli government believe the land is a Jewish possession, given by God. The prisoners are an assortment of those convicted of serious terrorist crimes, as well as those picked up in ongoing West Bank skirmishes with Palestinian youth.

“After this speech and this visit, there is no excuse not to restart building in Jerusalem and the West Bank”, he said.

Hundreds of stone-throwing youths clashed with Israeli soldiers firing tear gas and rubber bullets.

The status of Jerusalem would be one of the largest disagreements negotiators would have to iron out. Abbas’s Fatah party is at sharp odds with the Islamist group Hamas, which is in power in Gaza, leaving no unified Palestinian position on peace.

The Palestinian prisoners’ affairs committee called for a “day of rage” on Monday for “the voice of the prisoners to be heard by the president”.

Tuesday marked the 37th day of a mass hunger strike inside Israeli jails.

The U.S. president’s visit to the region was marked by protests.

In return, Mr Netanyahu extolled the U.S. president’s leadership. Tomorrow we will work side by side with you to fight back against those who seek to destroy our way of life’.

Have his domestic troubles pursued him overseas? “Never mentioned the word Israel”.

What’s next on the tour?

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Rome is Trump’s next stop where he will meet the Catholic Church’s Pope Francis.

On Wednesday he will continue to Brussels to see North Atlantic Treaty Organisation leaders.