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Israeli PM: Trump might be more "convenient" but could still set limits

Xinhua, February 12, 2017 Adjust font size:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that while U.S. President Donald Trump might be more "convenient" to Israel than his predecessor Barack Obama, the new administration might still set limits.

"After eight years of complicated maneuvering in the Obama era, we need to continue to act judiciously during the Trump era," Netanyahu said three days before meeting with Trump.

His remark came in the wake of vocal demands by the pro-settler faction of the Jewish Home, which is a prominent part of Netanyahu right-wing coalition, to use the meeting on Wednesday to relinquish the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Jewish Home supports a full annexation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War and where the Palestinians wish to build their future state.

"The situation now is more convenient, but it would be a mistake to think that there won't be any restrictions," Netanyahu said.

The Israeli construction in the Jewish settlements in the West Bank was restrained by Obama's administration.

Since Trump stepped into office, Israel has approved about 5,000 new housing units in the settlements, despite strong protests by the Palestinians and the international community. Endit