\r\n\tPresumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump would support an Israeli annexation of parts of the occupied Palestinian West Bank and would likely back a complete annexation if Israel deems it necessary, a top aide to the candidate told Haaretz in an interview published Thursday.
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\r\n\tDavid Friedman, who serves as Trump’s adviser on Israel along with Jason D. Greenblatt, told the paper that, if elected, his boss wouldn’t necessarily adopt the positions of previous US presidents in supporting the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
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\r\n\t“Not without the approval of the Israelis,” Friedman said.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\t“This is an issue that Israel has to deal with on its own because it will have to deal with the consequences…The Israelis have to make the decision on whether or not to give up land to create a Palestinian state. If the Israelis don’t want to do it, so he doesn’t think they should do it.”<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tTrump, he stressed, did not see a Palestinian state as “an American imperative” in any way.
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\r\n\t“Trump’s position is that we have to deal with reality and not hopes and wishes.”<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tHe also called into doubt Palestinian rights to the land, saying “We don’t accept the idea it is only about land. Nobody really knows how many Palestinians actually live there.”<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tAsked whether Trump would back an Israeli move to annex parts of the West Bank, Friedman said “I think there are parts of the West Bank that will stay part of Israel in any peace deal. I am sure he wouldn’t have any problem with that at all.”<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\t As for taking in the entirety of the territory, Friedman noted that “that’s a legal issue” but then added that “I don’t think he will have a problem with that.”<\/p>","content_source":null,"content_url":null,"content_columns":"0","content_date_start":"2016-06-24 15:58:45","content_date_finish":"2016-06-24 15:58:45","content_date_register":"2016-06-24 15:58:45","content_date_last_edit":"0000-00-00 00:00:00","content_show_img":"1","content_show_details":"1","content_show_related_img":"1","content_show_slider":"1","content_show_title_slider":"1","content_comment":"0","content_score":"0","content_recorded":"0","content_confirmed":"1","content_status":"1","content_kind":"0","old_id":"127288","tag_id":null,"tag_word":null,"tag_service":null,"tag_total":null,"tag_soundex":null,"attach_token":"2625351436","attach_date_register":"2016-06-24 15:58:49","attach_id":"134975","attach_file_ext":"jpg","attach_file_header":"image\/jpeg","attach_img_type":"2","attach_img_width":"998","attach_img_height":"624","attach_file_media":"1","attach_show_watermark":"0","score_average":null,"score_count":null,"score_date_last":null,"visit_count":"143","visit_date_last":"2025-05-12 19:48:55","attach_title":"Trump would back Israeli annexations in occupied West Bank","node_title":"news","ot_node_left_right":"[{\"node_id\":122, \"left\":2, \"right\":53}]"}]]