Trump: I have no opinion on a Palestinian state

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he has no view on the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state and will agree with whatever is agreed upon during the negotiations.

He also did not rule out that the agreement could lead to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu losing power, although in his opinion it would make him more popular.

The US president spoke about the negotiated ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip during a meeting of his cabinet. He repeated that he considers it a chance for lasting peace for the entire region. He confirmed that he intended to go to Egypt for the signing ceremony of the agreement and to Israel, expressing his readiness to address the Knesset. He also said he hoped the release of the remaining 20 Hamas hostages would take place on Monday or Tuesday, although he had previously said Sunday or Monday.

When asked by journalists whether, in the light of the agreement, he was in favor of a two-state solution, i.e. the creation of a Palestinian state next to Israel, Trump replied ambiguously, claiming that he had “no opinion” on the matter.

– I will agree to what has been agreed – he added.

Point 19 of his peace plan says that if the Palestinian Authority carries out the necessary reforms, it will establish conditions for “a credible path to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.” So far, however, only the first phase of the plan has been agreed, which assumes an exchange of prisoners and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Trump also stated that the involvement of Middle Eastern countries will guarantee security and adherence to the terms of the ceasefire.

– They love people, but especially they love Arabs, they love Muslims (…) and they are extremely rich, and they will be involved in investing money – he said. In this context, he mentioned, among others: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Turkey, noting that the latter was very helpful in talks with Hamas.

When asked whether one of the consequences of signing the agreement could be the loss of power by Prime Minister Netanyahu – whose coalition is based on far-right parties opposed to concessions – Trump said that it was possible because “this is politics.” However, he added that Netanyahu should rather become more popular.

– He is much more popular today than before (…) I don't think he did it for this reason, but looking at it as an analyst, he should be much more popular now – he said.

He also stated that the Gaza Strip is currently uninhabitable, but announced that better conditions will be created for Palestinians.

Trump also assessed that the agreement might not have been possible had it not been for the strikes on Iranian nuclear installations, because otherwise the specter of a nuclear threat from Iran would have cast a shadow over the region.

The US president again credited the agreement as the eighth war he had ended and expressed confidence that the same would happen with the war in Ukraine, which he considered the easiest to end.

– Meanwhile, they lose about 7,000. people every week and that seems pretty bad. (…) In many respects, this does not concern us, but we will negotiate between them, we do not want this to happen, he noted.

Minister of Internal Resources Doug Burgum announced that energy factors will play an important role in ending the war, and ending the war in Ukraine will now be easier thanks to cooperation with Middle Eastern countries in this field.

Trump's achievement was lavishly praised by all members of his cabinet, some of whom argued that the president deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.

From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)

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