Since US President Donald Trump took office in 2017, his administration has been criticised for various measures seemingly taken against the Palestinians and in favour of Israel, including the recent decision to close the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)’s diplomatic mission in Washington, DC.
When asked about the negative effect such actions might have on future peace negotiations, the former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Dore Gold, said Trump was trying to introduce “realism” to the debate.
“Let us get to a table and let us put those ideas out, and let’s try to resolve this once and for all,” said Gold. “In one very important sense, what President Trump is doing, he’s trying to introduce realism.”
The former director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry also defended Israel’s controversial nation-state law, which says self-determination is unique to the Jewish people and that Israel is their historical homeland.
Asked if the law undermines the self-determination of Israeli-Palestinians, Gold responded: “I think that the law is there to make clear that Israel is the national homeland of the Jewish people.”
“I would say I would deny the rights of Canadians to have self-determination inside the United States,” he added.
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Source: Al Jazeera News
