In meeting with Mahmoud Abbas, Trump calls for peace 'all throughout the Middle East'Washington Examiner, May 23, 2017
President Trump met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday in Bethlehem, just one day after he toured holy sites in Jerusalem and reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Israel.
"I am truly hopeful that America can help Israel and the Palestinians forge peace and bring new hope to the region and its people," Trump said during a joint appearance with Abbas. "I also firmly believe that if Israel and the Palestinians can make peace, it will begin a process of peace all throughout the Middle East, and that would be an amazing accomplishment."
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The president has also signaled a shift away from the Obama administration's insistence that a two-state solution should serve as the only template for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. Trump has said he would back whatever framework that's agreeable to both parties, whether it's a one-state solution or a two-state solution.
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Trump met Abbas hours after an apparent terrorist attack claimed 19 lives and injured at least 50 at a concert venue in Manchester, England.
"It's so interesting that our meeting took place on this very horrible morning of death to innocent young people," Trump said on Tuesday. "Peace can never take root in an environment where violence is tolerated, funded and even rewarded."
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