Trump’s speech to Israeli parliament scrapped amid concerns

Referring to the deal, Trump told the Israeli public on Tuesday, “We not only gave them [the Iranians] a lifeline, we gave them wealth and prosperity”.

This would represent a notable gain by Trump in his bid to restart peace talks, as Abbas until now has set preconditions for a return to peace talks, including an Israeli freeze on settlement building. The first is the reversal of the Iran nuclear deal framework, brokered by former President Barack Obama in 2015, which calls for a restriction of Iran’s nuclear capacities in exchange for significant economic incentives from the West.

The two-state solution has always been the cornerstone of USA policy in the region, and is widely regarded as the only settlement that both sides could realistically accept.

The prime minister also defended earlier remarks comparing the Manchester bomber to Palestinian terrorists, in which he said that if the attacker were Palestinian, he would have received a financial reward from the Palestinian Authority. This week he repeatedly described the Jerusalem-Ramallah struggle as the vital first step toward a wider agreement between Israel and the Arab Sunni states.

To the White House, Trump’s first trip overseas was an embodiment of the promises he made as a candidate to put America’s interests first and break through the guardrails that have long defined USA foreign policy.

Standing with Trump after their talk in Abbas’ presidential residence, Abbas said that Palestinians “are committed to working with you to reach a historic peace deal between us and Israel”.

Reports on Israeli TV as the president made his way back to Air Force 1 noted that there was a “great sense of satisfaction” among ministers from the Likud and from the right-wing Jewish Home party following Trump’s address.

Trump was the first US president to fly from Riyadh to Tel Aviv.

That diplomatic outreach by Obama to bring Tehran back into the worldwide community caused the anti-Iranian leaders in the region to make common cause, at least to some degree and under the radar. Every American president has found himself grappling with the complex challenge of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. It is considered that Saudi Arabia and Israel may establish relations in near future, with the aim of moving together against Iran.

But Trump purposefully declined to take on the issue or to threaten cutting USA aid to the Palestinians until the practice is stopped.

“The US has promised to maintain Israel’s qualitative advantage in the Middle East”, the premier stated. The White House also referred to Abbas as president of “Palestine” in a schedule, despite the fact that the USA does not recognize a Palestinian state. The president came away encouraged about making the ultimate deal, but he offered no plan for breaking the deadlock.

Apart from the economic side and the Israeli-Palestinian issue, his trip was important as it categorically indicated that the new USA president aims to isolate Iran, which has reelected President Hassan Rouhani and showed eagerness towards reforms and avoid global sanctions.

With cooperation, success is possible, and President Trump’s trip might be viewed as a watershed event in Middle East history.