President-elect Donald Trump wants to bring a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, The Wall Street Journal reports.
“That’s the ultimate deal,” Trump boasted Friday. “As a deal maker, I’d like to do … the deal that can’t be made. And do it for humanity’s sake.”
Trump’s declaration came days after he issued a message of solidarity to Israel after his election.
“Israel and America share so many of the same values, such as freedom of speech, freedom of worship and the importance of creating opportunities for all citizens to pursue their dreams,” Trump told Israeli media after his election. He continued that he is committed to having a “significant role in helping” Israel and Palestine “achieve a just, lasting peace.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump immediately upon his election, issuing a three-minute public video.
Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas similarly congratulated Trump and issued a statement through his spokesman saying, “The US administration should realize that achieving peace and security in the region will come by solving the Palestinian issue with a just and internationally legitimate solution, which will lead to the elimination of chaos and extremism in the world.”
Hamas, the ruling party in the Gaza strip, told Agence France Presse “The Palestinian people do not count much on any change in the US presidency because the US policy towards the Palestinian issue is a consistent policy on the basis of bias.”
Hamas is a designated terrorist organization by the U.S. and was democratically elected in 2006, prompting international condemnation and a blockade by the Israeli government.
The Obama administration made no headway in securing a detente between the Israeli government and the Palestinian authority, with much of the anger on both sides focused on Israeli settlements. These settlements stem from a larger dispute over Israel’s borders, which have remained contested since 1967.
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