Trump tells Netanyahu to ‘hold back’ on settlements, vague on two-state solution

President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held their first joint press conference Wednesday at the White House, ahead of a private meeting that was expected to herald warmer ties between the Israeli and American administrations. Yet the leaders’ public comments highlighted some of their disagreements, with Trump calling on Israel to “hold back” on settlement building and to show more “flexibility” in negotiations with the Palestinians. 

“I’d like to see you hold back on settlements for a little bit,” Trump told Netanyahu.

“As with any successful negotiation, both sides will have to make compromises,” he added, before turning to Netanyahu and saying, “You know that, right?”

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“The exchange between Trump and Netanyahu on settlements was a clear indication that the two men may not necessarily see eye to eye on everything,” Mideast expert Jonathan Schanzer, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, told JNS.org. “But it would be a mischaracterization to call that exchange contentious. From all appearances, the two leaders seemed to be at ease with one another. Any serious disagreements the two may have are likely to be aired behind closed doors. This is the way allies typically interact, but that was not how things worked during the Obama years.”

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