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President Donald Trump's National Security Advisor, John Bolton, spoke about "the so-called state of Palestine" during a discussion on the Middle East on Wednesday.
In a hurry to clarify his comments, Bolton said, "That's right. It's not a state. He then used aerial citations to mention "Palestine" again.
Unlike the United States and 56 other nations, 137 UN member states officially recognize the Palestinian territories as sovereign states. In 1948, the United States was the first country to formally recognize the State of Israel.
MANDEL NGAN / AFP / Getty Images
Last month, the Trump administration announced that it would close the Palestinian mission in Washington, DC, which Palestinian leaders described as a "declaration of war" on peace efforts, according to Al Jazeera.
In defending the decision, the state department said in an official statement that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) office "has not taken steps to advance the beginning direct and constructive negotiations with Israel ".
"We have authorized the PLO office to conduct operations in the direction of a lasting and comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians since the expiry of a previous waiver in November 2017" , says the release.
Last week, Trump said, "I like the two-state solution."
"That's what I think works best. I do not even have to talk to anyone, that's what I feel. The president acknowledged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could disagree.
Speaking at a bilateral meeting with the Israeli leader on the sidelines of the US General Assembly session in New York, Trump reportedly told Netanyahu that he needed to "do something about it." good for the Palestinians to guarantee any future peace agreement.
White House officials said the president's long-awaited peace plan, prepared by Jordan's son-in-law and special adviser for the Middle East, Jared Kushner, is expected to be released soon. However, they did not give a precise timetable.
Meanwhile, relations between Washington and the Palestinians are practically over. After Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refused to participate in the US-led talks, saying Washington could not be trusted as a as neutral referee.
"We paid them $ 500 million a year. Now we pay nothing per year, "said Trump. "For years, we have been mistreated by Palestinian leaders, and that stopped. [The money] will come back. They will come back to the table and they wish it.
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