In a phone call last year with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump asked him if he actually cared about peace in the Middle East.
According to Axios, Trump asked the straightforward question while the two leaders were discussing a possible peace deal in the Middle East.
Trump had reportedly read news reports about Netanyahu building additional settlements to please his conservative supporters. Axios reported on Sunday that the Israeli Prime Minister’s move is something that Trump views as an unnecessary action which results only in angering the Palestinians.
Trump then asked Netanyahu if he genuinely wants peace or not, three sources familiar with the call said.
However, a senior official told the news outlet that “the President has an extremely close and candid relationship with the Prime Minister of Israel and appreciates his strong efforts to enhance the cause of peace in the face of numerous challenges.”
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also added that “the President has great relationships with a number of foreign leaders but that doesn’t mean he can’t be aggressive when it comes to negotiating what’s best for America.”
Trump also had a discussion with Netanyahu earlier this month as a result of the growing tensions in the Middle East. The two leaders discussed the protests raging in Gaza, along with Israel’s southern border. At that time, Palestinian medics said a protester was killed by Israeli forces, one of 17 people reportedly killed during the clashes.
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing struggle between Israelis and Palestinians that began in the mid-20th century. The origins of the conflict can be traced back to Jewish immigration, and sectarian conflict in Mandatory Palestine between Jews and Arabs. It is known as the world’s “most intractable conflict,” with the ongoing Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip reaching 51 years.
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