Israel's right wing has welcomed the dawning of a new era following Wednesday's joint press conference between US president Donald Trump and prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu at the White House, while the Palestinian leadership expressed concern that Washington had abandoned its commitment to the two-state solution.
In a departure from the traditional US Middle East policy adopted by both Democratic and Republican presidents, Mr Trump backed away from automatic support for the creation of a Palestinian state, saying, “I’m looking at a two-state and a one-state, and I like the one that both parties like . . . I can live with either one.”
"This is a very important day," Israeli public security minister Gilad Erdan said. "President Trump's statements prove this is a new era. The positions he expressed illustrate an understanding that the two-state solution is not the only solution, and that it's time to pressure the Palestinians, who are the rejectionists here [in the deadlocked peace process]."
Science minister Ofir Akunis said the two-state solution had come to an end.
‘Terror state’
"Finally, the dangerous and erroneous notion of establishing a Palestinian terror state at the heart of Israel has been debunked. President Trump knows that the two-state solution will not bring peace to the Middle East, and that we need to find other solutions to strike peace."
Mr Trump promised to work towards achieving a comprehensive peace agreement, suggesting a regional approach involving Arab states and he called on Israel to “hold back on settlements for a little bit”.
The moderate tone on settlements was in sharp contrast to the Obama administration, prompting culture minister Miri Regev to declare that “the era of settlement freezes in Judea and Samaria has ended and the coldness in Israel-US relations has ended”, using the biblical term for the West Bank.
Naftali Bennett, leader of the Jewish Home, the party most closely identified with the West Bank settler movement, was delighted with the outcome of the White House talks.
"The Palestinian flag has been replaced with the Israeli flag. The Palestinians already have two states – in Gaza and Jordan. They don't need a third."
In sharp contrast to the jubilation on the Israeli right wing, the Palestinian leadership expressed dismay at what was perceived as a dangerous shift in US policy, warning that abandoning the two-state solution meant abandoning prospects for peace.
Dangerous consequences
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas's office issued a statement stressing that the Palestinian Authority remained willing to work with the Trump administration in a positive way to promote peace, but warned of the dangerous consequences of the new approach.
“Israel’s insistence on shelving the two-state solution and replacing it with what is essentially an apartheid state will only lead to instability and extremism.”
Mr Abbas said Mr Netanyahu must “respond to the request of President Trump and the international community to halt all settlement activities, including in occupied east Jerusalem”.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim called on the Palestinian Authority to abandon negotiations with Israel and the belief that the US is capable of acting as a mediator to the peace process, adding that Mr Trump had made it clear the current and previous US administrations were biased in favour of Israel.
Opposition politicians in Israel lamented what they termed a victory for the extreme right, accusing Mr Netanyahu of undermining Israel’s interests.
"It was sad to see Netanyahu squirm and squirm just to avoid the idea of separation via the two-state solution. Every Israeli should be dreading the concept of a one-state solution. It means no Jewish state and that is extremely dangerous," said opposition leader Yitzhak Herzog.