Senior White House official: Trump personally committed to peace deal

A Senior White House official issues a lengthy defense of ongoing efforts by the Trump Adminstration to restart talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

“As President Donald J. Trump has clearly stated, he is personally committed to achieving a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians that would help usher in an era of greater regional peace and prosperity. A few months ago, the president directed his advisers to continue discussions with regional partners about how best to support the peace effort. Those conversations are still ongoing. On the margins of the UN General Assembly, US representatives met individually with representatives from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and other regional partners,” the official says.

“More recently, the Special Representative for International Negotiations traveled to Cairo, Amman, Jerusalem, and Ramallah and met with officials, and he will have further meetings in the coming weeks. In addition, the Senior Adviser to the President, the Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategy, and the Special Representative for International Negotiations recently returned from Saudi Arabia. The Senior Adviser has also been in frequent contact with officials from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. While these regional talks will play an important role, the President reaffirms that peace between Israelis and Palestinians can only be negotiated directly between the two parties and that the United States will continue working closely with the parties to make progress toward that goal. No deal will be imposed on Israelis and Palestinians; We are committed to facilitating a deal that improves conditions for both parties,” he adds.