Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
President-elect Donald Trump called Israel a “beacon of hope to countless people,” stating in an interview on Friday that he deeply respects Israel and her people and that his administration will play a significant role in ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
During an interview with Israeli media, Trump said, “I love and respect Israel and its citizens. Israel and America share so many of the same values, such as freedom of speech, freedom of worship, and the importance of creating opportunities for all citizens to pursue their dreams.”
On being President-elect and Israel-US relations he said, “I look forward to strengthening the unbreakable bond between our great nations. I know very well that Israel is the one true democracy and defender of human rights in the Middle East and a beacon of hope to countless people.”
Trump spoke of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which he believes “my administration can play a significant role in helping the parties to achieve a just, lasting peace, which must be negotiated between the parties themselves, and not imposed on them by others,” supporting Israel’s stance for direct negotiations with the Palestinians with no preconditions and not through international bodies and efforts. Trump stated that “Israel and the Jewish people deserve no less.”
His remarks come while France continues to pressure Israel to participate in a peace conference in attempts to resume peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel once again rejected the invitation. Israel is consistently clear that it will only pursue peace talks with the Palestinians directly with no preconditions.
Later on Friday, during an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump stated that under his administration, the “war that never ends,” referring to the conflict, would result in a peace deal. “As a deal maker, I’d like to do… the deal that can’t be made. And to do it for humanity’s sake.”
Photo credit: Prime Minister of Israel (Creative Commons)
Amir Tsarfati, a Jewish Christian, is the founder and president of Behold Israel, a news site to correct the scarcity in trustworthy reportage on issues and events impacting Israel, and to resolve the uncertainty about who or what to believe.
