Trump’s envoy meets Netanyahu in Israel, to meet Abbas

Jason Greenblatt, who is US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the so-called peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem al-Quds for five hours on Monday.

Greenblatt is reportedly scheduled to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office said that, during the Monday meeting, the Israeli prime minister and the American envoy stressed “commitment” to the peace process.

The Trump administration’s positions on Israeli settlements — considered illegal by much of the world — and the peace process are not clearly formulated, if formulated at all. Trump himself and several officials in his administration have made pronouncements that have either been vague or in contrast with comments made by other officials.

Prior to Greenblatt’s visit to Israel, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner described the issue of settlements as “a challenge that needs to be addressed at some point.”

Earlier, Trump had taken a much milder, less clear-cut tone, saying that he was “not somebody that believes that going forward with these settlements is a good thing for peace.”

Earlier yet, and before taking office, Trump had strongly slammed the administration of former US President Barack Obama for not vetoing a United Nations Security Council resolution that condemned the Israeli settlements.

Since the inauguration of Trump in January, the Israeli regime, which sees in him a stronger supporter than Obama, has stepped up its construction of settler units on occupied Palestinian land.

Such construction constitutes a blatant violation of international law.