Trump meets with Netanyahu
Trump meets with NetanyahuFlash90

The US is working together with Israel on the issue of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, and the State Department is working closely with the White House on the Arab-Israeli conflict, according to a Ste Department official.

Mark Toner, an acting State Department spokesman who served under the Obama Administration, told reporters Tuesday that the Trump administration “would like to see Israel hold back on settlement activity” and that the White House is in discussions with the Israeli government “as to what exactly that would look like.”

“We are working closely with the White House on evaluating where we stand...and trying to formulate the next steps” Toner added

He did not specify what those steps would be, or what role President Trump's son-in-law and choice for Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, has had in the discussions so far.

Toner reiterated the State Department position that the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria might not be conductive to peace, though he stopped short of stating outright that they were harmful.