The Associated Press interviewed Donald Trump he had a few things to say about Israel/Palestine and a Middle-East peace deal. Including this:
"A lot will have to do with Israel and whether or not Israel wants to make the deal — whether or not Israel's willing to sacrifice certain things. They may not be, and I understand that, and I'm OK with that. But then you're just not going to have a deal."
I urge you to read the entire article at the AP, it’s quite interesting. Trump said he’s taking this seriously because he’s leading in all the polls and there’s a real chance he’ll be president. I think he is most likely going to be the GOP nominee, so it’s worth paying attention to what he says.
As you can imagine, these comments weren’t received warmly everywhere. Speaking to the Republican Jewish Coalition, Trump reiterated that he doesn't know "if Israel has the commitment" to reach a peace deal. He was loudly booed. Ditto when he refused to pledge to keep Jerusalem the “undivided capital of Israel”.
Thankfully, Marco Rubio was on hand to provide an applause line:
One of Trump's rivals for the GOP nomination, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, said at the same forum that those calling for more sacrifices from Israel "are dead wrong, and they don't understand the enduring bond between Israel and America."
Trump refused to discuss specifics with the AP, saying "Look, we show our cards too much in negotiations”. He refused to say whether he supported the two-state solution, to avoid showing any bias towards either side in case he does become president.
He did say that Israeli settlements were a "huge sticking point" in talks and continued:
"I have my feelings on it, but I'm just not going to discuss it now, because if I end up in the midst of a negotiation, I don't want people saying, 'Well, you can't do it, you're not going to be good, you're biased.’ I want to be very neutral and see if I can get both sides together."
I might have to wash my keyboard out with soap right after, but I think these are the most honest and straightforward comments I’ve heard from any of the Republican candidates on Israel-Palestine. Bernie also insists on the need for even-handedness (while HRC sometimes forgets Palestinians exist). Of course, Trump spices it up with some GreatDealmakingTM bluster. He thinks a deal can be reached:
"if you had a real dealmaker, somebody that knew what he or she is doing. I'll be able to tell in one sit-down meeting with the real leaders,"
A part of me almost wants to give him a shot. Just to see how it turns out because, as he says:
"If you can make that deal, you can make any deal. It's probably the toughest deal to make."
Oh, and he’s going to Israel after Christmas to meet his buddy Netanyahu.