Trump says Mideast peace rests with Israel — AP Conversation

He did slightly soften his tone, arguing Israel has a “public relations” problem: “Israel has given a lot but hasn’t been given a lot of credit for what they’ve given”, he said.

Donald Trump says that if he’s elected president, he’ll know within six months whether he can achieve an elusive peace accord between Israelis and Palestinians, one of the world’s most vexing challenges.

Trump drew loud boos from the audience as he refused to declare Israel was the undivided capital of Israel. And he suggested to the influential group simply wanted to install a puppet in the White House.

“Now, I said you have to have a commitment to make it”, Mr. Trump said at a Republican Jewish Coalition presidential forum in Washington, D.C. “I don’t know that Israel has the commitment to make it, and I don’t know that the other side has the commitment to make it”. You want to control your politicians, that’s fine.

“I will actually be using a script”, he announced before he began his speech.

“The delay in these arrests… signifies the impunity that Israel grants to settlers and its complicity with their crimes and terror against Palestinians, and the protection Israel affords to Israeli settlers by hiding their identity”.

“Israel stands on the front lines of our civilizational struggle against radical, apocalyptic Islam”, said Marco Rubio, a leading contender now serving as the junior senator from Florida. The coalition is financially backed by Jewish billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a key Netanyahu supporter.

A spokesman for the RJC told CNN that Trump was just playing to his audience. “I don’t know if Israel has the commitment to make it”, he said.

In an interview with the Associated Press published earlier Thursday, Mr. Trump said there was a “real question” as to whether or not both sides want to make a deal.

The comment drew murmurs of disapproval.

“The person I rely on most as it relates to U.S.-Israeli policy is my brother”, Bush said to cheers.

Trump criticized some of his fellow GOP rivals, though none of the high-polling ones. Perhaps more than any other candidate, he can afford to. He has absolutely no support from President [Barack] Obama. Trump responded, “Who’s the wiseguy?” “It’s a struggle to safeguard the future of Israel”.

The AP made a point of mentioning that “numerous U.S. presidents in both parties have tried to broker a peace accord without success”.

Trump noted that one of his daughters, Ivanka, is Jewish.

Reaction to Trump’s comments came quickly on social media. Nickolay Mladenov, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said on Wednesday that the lack of charges was troubling. Carson said it a few different ways, but often it sounded as if he was talking about “hummus”, the chickpea dip that is popular in Israel and Arab countries.

Trump had kicked off the event with several jabs at the well-heeled crowd, saying he didn’t want their money. “We have a very good relationship”.

Trump spoke about the infamous million gas station in Afghanistan, asking the crowd, “How many of you think you could have done it for less?”

Palestinians have repeatedly claimed that Israel’s slow movement in making arrests in the arson reflected what they see as an unfair justice system that moves swiftly in finding Palestinian suspects in violence.