(JTA) — A policy adviser to Donald Trump told CNN that the Republican party might be due to assert more support for Israeli settlements, and possibly reject all together the idea of a two-state solution, which has long been a pillar of both Democratic and Republican policy in the region.
David Friedman, a real estate lawyer and bankruptcy expert who Trump has described as one of his advisers on Israel, staked out a position further to the right of the current Republican Party platform ahead of its nominating convention later this month.
“It ought to be time to at least take a fresh look at this,” Friedman said in reference to the two-state solution, suggesting some Arabs might prefer Israel’s complete control. “The two-state solution might be one answer, but I don’t think it’s the only answer anymore.”
Last month, Friedman told Haaretz that Trump would support Israel’s annexing parts of the West Bank.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has articulated his strong support of Israel in recent days, after raising concern among some in the pro-Israel community early in his campaign by staking out a “neutral” stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Friedman suggested Trump would consider support of an undivided Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and would not openly oppose Israel’s policy decisions. He also echoed comments by Trump in support of a policy of not “imposing” U.S. policies on Israel.
In the same article, several veteran policy advisers to Republican presidents, warned against a departure from support for the two-state solution.
“I think it would be a great mistake for anything in the Republican platform to attack or criticize the two-state solution in any way. But I think it’s reasonable to say the real goal is a comprehensive and lasting peace, and there may be several ways to get there,” Elliott Abrams, the deputy national security advisor in the administration of President George W. Bush, told CNN.
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