Trump officially supports two-state solution for Israel and Palestine

President Trump says he has a plan for peace in the Middle East, and he's finally revealed a glimpse of what it might look like.

After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, Trump announced his support for a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, Axios reports. It's the first time in his presidency Trump has clearly voiced support for creating separate Israeli and Palestinian nations.

Trump has long been thought to favor Israel over Palestine in the ongoing Middle East conflict, especially as he provocatively moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem earlier this year. He's held off on endorsing the two-state solution favored by the past three administrations, however, and largely left his adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner to head negotiations.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

But at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, Trump took what looks like his biggest step toward revealing an actual plan. Trump told reporters he thinks a two-state solution "works best," per The Associated Press. He also acknowledged that Israel "got the first chip" with the embassy move, so now "Israel will have to do something that is good for the other side."

Everyone involved in this conflict, including the U.S., has a different idea of how a separate Palestinian state would look, Netanyahu pointed out Wednesday. But a U.S. peace plan must ensure Palestine cannot "threaten Israel," the leader added, per Axios. Trump concluded that he'll work out a "fair deal" between Palestine and Israel, and says he will unveil his peace plan in the next two to four months.