The Zionist Organization of America released a statement Friday urging President Donald Trump not to call for Palestinian self-determination following National Security Advisor Gen. McMaster’s statement that Trump would “express a desire” for such to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during an upcoming visit.
According to the ZOA, McMaster has been pressing Trump to reverse his earlier statements about the Palestinians, and would encourage more terrorism and more demands by Abbas by advocating for a Palestinian state.
The ZOA has supported many of Trump’s positions in the past and has appreciated his support for Israel and his opposition to terrorism everywhere in the world including the Middle East. Even a “Palestinian entity that is less than a state” would be preferable to Palestinian self-determination, the ZOA stated.
Only 7 percent of Israelis in a recent poll by Maagar-Machot supported a Palestinian state. Supporting self-determination for the Palestinians would “contradict the Trump campaign’s policy platform,” the ZOA said.
That platform read in part, “The U.S. cannot support the creation of a new state where terrorism is financially incentivized, terrorists are celebrated by political parties and government institutions, and the corrupt diversion of foreign aid is rampant. The U.S. should not support the creation of a state that forbids the presence of Christian or Jewish citizens, or that discriminates against people on the basis of religion.”
The statement also opposed any forced settlement by outside parties, including the United Nations Security Council.
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