Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) on Wednesday evening responded to US President Donald Trump, who expressed support for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
"The establishment of a Palestinian state in the territories of Judea and Samaria is a bad solution and as long as the Jewish Home is in the government it will not be established. Not a ‘state minus’ and not a ‘state plus’. The solution should be regional and not only on the shoulders of the State of Israel," Shaked said at a Simchat Beit Hashoeva celebration of the Jewish Home in Petah Tikva.
During his meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu earlier on Wednesday, Trump indicated that he thought a "two-state solution" was the best way to solve the Israel-Palestinian Arab conflict.
"I like two-state solution. That's what I think works best. I don’t even have to speak to anybody, that's my feeling," he said.
“You may have a different feeling. I don’t think so, but I think two-state solution works best," he told Netanyahu, who did not respond.
Later on, Trump explained his remarks and said that, while he believes the two-state solution is the preferred solution, “If the Israelis and the Palestinians want one state, that's okay with me. If they want two states, that's okay with me. I’m happy if they’re happy. I’m a facilitator. I want to see if I can get a deal done so that people don't get killed anymore.”
A senior PLO official later rejected Trump's earlier comments, saying his White House's policies were destroying "destroying the possibility of the two-state solution."
"Their words go against their actions and their action is absolutely clear (and) is destroying the possibility of the two-state solution," Husam Zomlot, head of the recently-closed PLO mission in Washington, told AFP.
In her comments on Wednesday, Shaked also mentioned the visit of Leah and Simcha Goldin, parents of fallen IDF soldier Hadar Goldin, to the UN headquarters in New York, as part of their ongoing campaign to return the bodies of IDF soldiers being held by Hamas in Gaza.
"Leah and Simcha Goldin are currently at the UN. I am sending them a hug and wishing them success. The boys will come home," Shaked said.