McMaster says Trump will back Palestinian 'self-determination' during his trip to Israel

President Trump will indicate his support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict during his forthcoming Mideast trip, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster announced Friday. Trump will meet separately with Israeli and Palestinian leadership, said McMaster, so he can "reaffirm America's unshakeable bond to the Jewish state" while expressing "his desire for dignity and self-determination for the Palestinians."

This is an apparent reversal from Trump's refusal to commit to a two-state solution earlier this year after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "I'm looking at two-state and one-state and I like the one that both parties like," he said then. In March, Trump called peace between Israelis and Palestinians the "toughest deal to make."

Trump's trip, which begins this coming week, includes stops in Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Rome. The president will visit holy sites of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, McMaster said, because he wants "to unite people of all faiths around a common vision of peace, security, and prosperity."

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