Trump says Israel will have a PM named Mohammed if one-state solution reached
American president claims a single-state solution to the conflict will shift the Jewish majority in Israel sufficiently to give a Muslim leader
Israelis eventually will have a prime minister named Mohammed if there is a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, President Donald Trump reportedly told King Abdullah of Jordan.
According to Axios, Abdullah informed French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian of Trump’s remarks during a meeting in Amman earlier this month, recalling how he told his American counterpart that “many young Palestinians don’t want the two-state solution anymore, but would rather live together with the Israelis in one state with equal rights for all.”
Such an outcome, the king said, would mean that Israel would “lose its Jewish character.”
Abdullah described Trump as replying, somewhat sarcastically, that his observation made sense and that in such a case, “the prime minister of Israel in a few years will be called Mohammed.”
Support for a two-state solution among Israelis and Palestinians recently dropped to a historic low. According to a new poll conducted by Tel Aviv University and the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah, only 43 percent of both Israeli Jews and Palestinians back such a negotiated end to the conflict, a decline of 9 and 8 points since 2016, respectively.
In his public statements Trump has remained somewhat agnostic regarding the outlines of a final agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. During a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February 2017, the president expressed ambivalence about the form that a final settlement would take, saying that he was “looking at two-state, and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like.”
“I’m very happy with the one that both parties like. I can live with either one,” Trump said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExYCFgnFwtY
Subsequently asked whether he had backed away from the two-state concept, Trump said, “No, I like the two-state solution.” But, he added, “I ultimately like what the both parties like.”
This position sharply diverged with that of previous U.S. presidents, who said two states is the only viable solution for resolving the conflict.
The Trump administration has yet to reveal its much-touted Middle East peace plan, which is being developed by Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser; Jason Greenblatt, a special representative for international negotiations; David Friedman, the U.S. ambassador to Israel; and Nikki Haley, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations. Except for Haley, all of the administration officials working on the proposal are Orthodox Jews.
The team did release a joint statement last week saying that “no one will be fully pleased with our proposal, but that’s the way it must be if real peace is to be achieved. Peace can only succeed if it is based on realities.”
https://twitter.com/jdgreenblatt45/status/1029817371228364800
“We were the first to fight against it and we will continue to fight against it until it falls,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said of the administration’s plan last week during a session of the PLO Central Council. “This is the ‘slap of the century.’”
Responding to Trump’s purported comments, Israeli-Arab Knesset member Ahmad Tibi jokingly tweeted that he would be the next prime minister.
“Mr President, you are also confusing the names,” he tweeted. “Ahmad, not Mohammed. Ahmad.
https://twitter.com/Ahmad_tibi/status/1031229820284424192
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
