AhlulBayt News Agency

source : The Hill
Tuesday

30 May 2017

12:12:54 PM
833011

Bolton: Trump won’t solve Israel, Palestinian conflict

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Former Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said President Trump will not secure a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

“[Trump] is an optimistic man and can take a good shot at it, but I don’t think the conditions exist,” he said Monday in Jerusalem al-Quds.

“I don’t think the two-state solution is viable anymore,” Bolton added. “It’s not a question of personality or effort, it is just undoable.”

“There has been a 70-plus year effort for the two-state solution [which has failed]. You can’t put it back together again.”

Trump returned to the U.S. this weekend after his foreign trip as president, a trek that included stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican.

The president during his visit to Israel expressed hope for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

“Today, let us pray for that peace and for a more hopeful future across the Middle East,” he said at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

“There are those who present a false choice,” Trump added. “They say that we must choose between supporting Israel and supporting Arab and Muslim nations in the region. That is completely wrong.”

Trump added that he is “personally committed to helping Israelis and Palestinians achieve a peace agreement.”

“Making peace will not be easy,” he said. “We all know that. Both sides will face tough decisions. But with determination, compromise and the belief that peace is possible, Israelis and Palestinians can make a deal.”

Widely seen as a hawk, even within conservative circles, Bolton is known for his extremist views on foreign policy, including his insatiable appetite for wars.

In the early days of the Trump administration, he was a top contender for the post of secretary of state, which was later on assigned to oil tycoon Rex Tillerson.



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