The press conference is now over. Video below.
Quick Takes: Much warmer relationship than the tense Obama-Bibi appearances, where they could hardly contain their disdain for each other.
Substantively, Trump did exactly what any good mediator would do — not try to impose a solution on the parties. His point was that whatever form a peace deal takes that is acceptable to the parties, it’s acceptable to him.
He also suggested thinking outside the historical box, and there may be opportunities for a regional solution. The media line is that Trump abandoned a two-state solution, but in reality he recognized that past failures to impose an unworkable two-state solution have not worked.
It was interesting that the mainstream media was not called on for questions. And they were all butt-hurt about it, because they wanted to ask Trump about Russia. The questions, however, were on point to the Middle East dispute.
Netanyahu made the point, as he has before, that any peace deal had to include Palestinian recognition of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, and Israeli security control over the entire area west of the Jordan river.
Trump also emphasized that Palestinian incitement, including of children, is one of the core problems.
Here is the full video, followed by tweets during the conference:
The MSM was not called on to ask questions. They wanted to turn the press conference into the Russian issue.
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