Netanyahu presses Trump for 'security control' in two-state outcome

"I told the president that what is important is that the Palestinians won't be able to threaten us, and for that reason there must be complete Israeli security control."

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Updated: SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 20:14
Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump speaking at the U.N. Security Council, Spetember 26th, 2018 (photo credit: GPO PHOTO DEPARTMENT)
Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump speaking at the U.N. Security Council, Spetember 26th, 2018
(photo credit: GPO PHOTO DEPARTMENT)
NEW YORK -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed US President Donald Trump on Wednesday to keep Israel's security concerns in mind as he approaches an embrace of a two-state solution to its conflict with the Palestinians.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Trump in New York, ahead of which the American president announced his preference for the two-state model, Netanyahu said he told Trump that labels matter less than the essence of a peaceful outcome– which, to him, requires broad security guarantees.
"I told the president that what is important is that the Palestinians won't be able to threaten us, and for that reason there must be complete Israeli security control," Netanyahu said.
Senior Trump administration officials say the president will not compromise Israel’s security in his upcoming peace plan, now 20 months in the making. The architects of that plan— Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, and Jason Greenblatt, his special representative for international negotiations— attended Wednesday’s meeting.
"We are hopeful we've had enough conversations with them that they wouldn't breach our fundamental security needs– our red lines," a senior Israeli official recently told The Jerusalem Post. “We'd be very surprised if that were the case."
Trump said he expects the plan to be ready for release in two to four months. Israel expects he will first consult with Arab partners over its contents, in order to secure regional buy-in, Netanyahu said, although administration officials tell the Post this is not their settled strategy.