Netanyahu denies Trump Jerusalem declaration will lead to further annexation

Netanyahu hails Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but says the shift in US policy does not signal the end of a two-state solution.

“President Trump made history by recognizing history, by recognizing those indelible facts of the past and the present,” Netanyahu tells Fareed Zakaria at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“I think he did a great service for peace because peace can only be made by truth.”

The prime minister reiterates that Trump’s announcement does not mean a change in the status quo at Israel’s holy sites, but says Jerusalem will always remain under Israel’s sovereignty.

“We’re keeping the holy sites and the status quo, and I want to stress that under any arrangement that we have, we will always keep the status quo at the Temple Mount and all of the holy sites,” he says.

“Our position is that Jerusalem should remain united under Israel’s sovereignty with complete religious rights for those of all faiths,” he says

Netanyahu also rejects claims that Israel has been emboldened by the Trump administration to annex further territory in the West Bank.

“I think it’s a complete distortion. I think they want to govern themselves, which I don’t have any problem with that,” he says.

“The Palestinians should have all the powers to govern themselves but none of the powers to harm us,” the prime minister says. “Israel will retain the overriding security control, but other than that, the Palestinians will be able to govern themselves.”

— Jacob Magid