Abe Foxman on Trump-Netanyahu Meeting

Foxman on the Trump-Netanyahu meeting and the President’s commitment to pursue peace: “The optics are better. The sounds are better. There is a warmth and friendliness. All these things are good. But we are dealing with the shifting sounds of the Middle East and Washington. This is the one area where President Trump has shifted from where he was very dramatically. So, the devil is in the details. The Truth is that even with U.S. intervention and initiation, there was no peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. So without it, you know, to say ‘I don’t care,’ I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere.”

On Trump and Netanyahu hashing out the idea of regional peace: “You know what? Egypt had an interest to make peace – it made peace. Jordan had an interest to make peace – it made peace. That interest did not lead them to push a Palestinian peace. If what unites them today is Iran, they can deal with Iran without a solution on the Palestinian problem. It’s just the reverse. If they want to go public, it’s only after there’s a solution. I am not sure that’s going to go anywhere. But time will tell. At least, there’s no tension and no anger, and that’s nice. It’s a good feeling to watch it.”

On Trump seemingly backing away from the two-state solution: “Netanyahu cannot be ‘holier than the Pope.’ If the President says he doesn’t care if it’s one or two states, you can’t expect the Prime Minister to insist on two states. But the truth is, there is no reality in a one-state solution.”

On Trump’s answer to a question about anti-Semitism: “It was a missed opportunity. It was a low moment.”

On Trump acknowledging the Jewish nature of the Holocaust: “He came very close to it, but he didn’t deal with it. He didn’t close the controversy (surrounding the WH Holocaust statement). He had an opportunity to close that issue and he just stepped up to it and didn’t do it. These were prepared remarks. I would’ve talked about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism clearly. And there again, somebody in the White House has an issue to that subject, not willing to give him the opportunity to put it to rest, and that’s troubling.”