Iran president dismisses Trump's threats at UN
Comments by US President Donald Trump supporting a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict for the first time have turned heads ahead of UN speeches by the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
Trump's endorsement of the goal of a Palestinian state, long the focus of US peace efforts before he came into office, was decidedly lukewarm -- and he even slightly backtracked from it later in the day.
But it still sparked concern among some Israeli right-wing politicians who hoped Trump would bury the idea of Palestinian statehood once and for all, while Palestinian officials dismissed his comments as empty talk.
When meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Trump said he backed a two-state solution since "that's what I think works best, that's my feeling."
Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas were due to address the UN General Assembly later yesterday, but they both seem unlikely to be moved by Trump's comments.
Netanyahu reiterated his stance that Israel must retain security control under any deal with the Palestinians. In recent years he has said he wants the Palestinians to govern themselves without specifying whether that means full statehood or some lesser form of autonomy.
But right-wing members of Netanyahu's coalition made their opposition to Palestinian statehood loud and clear.
One of his main rivals, Education Minister Naftali Bennett of the far-right Jewish Home, said as long as his party is in government "there will not be a Palestinian state, which would be a disaster for Israel."
Palestinian officials were dismissive of Trump's comments.
Their leadership cut off contact with the White House after Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December. Trump has also cut more than $500 million in Palestinian aid.
The president said Wednesday he would present the long-awaited plan by the end of the year.
Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki told reporters in New York that Abbas's team met more than 40 times with Trump's envoys only "to discover that they have opted to open that war against the Palestinians to inflict the most damage."
Trump's son-in-law and aide Jared Kushner is part of a team working on what the president has called the "ultimate deal" -- Israeli-Palestinian peace.
The team's efforts have been met with derision from the Palestinians, who note that the Israelis have so far not been asked publicly for any concessions in return for the Jerusalem recognition and other moves they favour.
"Jared, who's so involved, he loves Israel ... But he's also going to be very fair with the Palestinians," Trump told the news conference on Wednesday.
In his address on Thursday, Abbas is expected to urge international action to salvage the option of a two-state solution.
Netanyahu's speech is likely to be focused on Israel's main enemy Iran, particularly its presence in neighbouring Syria.
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