Donald Trump says Palestinians and Israelis are 'ready for peace'

US president says ‘determination and compromise’ will be needed to make a deal as two-day trip to Jerusalem and the West Bank draws to a close

Donald Trump has declared that both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict are ready to “reach for peace”, but has warned that such a historic undertaking will not be easy.

“I had a meeting this morning with [President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud] Abbas and can tell you that the Palestinians are ready to reach for peace,” Mr Trump said in Jerusalem, before turning to gesture towards Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel.

“In my meeting with my very good friend Benjamin, I can tell you also, that he is reaching for peace. He wants peace,” the US President said.

“Making peace, however, will not be easy. We all know that. Both sides will face tough decisions. But with determination, compromise, and the belief that peace is possible, Israelis and Palestinians can make a deal.”

Mr Trump’s comments came after a flying visit to Israel and the West Bank.

In his public remarks during the trip Mr Trump strenuously avoided mentioning any of the long-standing issues which have proved stumbling blocks to lasting peace over the years, such as Israeli settlements in the West Bank, or the likelihood of a two-state solution.

He also neglected to offer any insight into how US policy would revive the long-dormant peace process.

Both Mr Netanyahu and Mr Abbas, however, lavished praise on Mr Trump during his short visit.

The Israeli leader said the new President’s election offered more hope of a lasting peace deal “than I’ve seen in my lifetime”, while his Palestinian counterpart also said meetings with Mr Trump were cause for “optimism”.

Mr Trump’s visit was less enthusiastically welcomed by sections of Palestinian society. Protests against supposed American support of the Israeli occupation were organised across the West Bank and Gaza, and one Palestinian faction called for a “day of rage” during the US delegation’s trip, leading Israel to deploy an extra 10,000 security forces on its streets.

Air Force One touched down in Tel Aviv on Monday, straight after talks with Muslim world leaders in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh which Mr Trump said gave him fresh “reason for hope” in tackling extremism and violence in the region.

The US President visited the holiest site Jews can pray at – the Western Wall – and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem before meeting Reuven Rivlin, the Israeli President.

Tuesday brought news of the overnight terror attack at Manchester Arena which left at least 22 people dead, leading Mr Trump to repeat remarks during a media conference with Mr Abbas in Bethlehem he previously made in Riyadh about how “all civilised nations” must unite to “drive out the terrorists and the extremists from our midst”.

Isis has claimed responsibility for the attack, although the statement has not yet been verified by the UK’s police or security agencies.

Mr Trump has repeatedly said that brokering an Arab-Israeli peace deal is a priority of his administration, describing it as the “toughest deal of all”.

He has notably toned down some of the pro-Israeli rhetoric from his presidential campaign since entering office in January, asking the Israeli government to “hold back” on settlement building and equivocating over his promise to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The holy city is contested by both sides as their capital.

During the trip, White House aides downplayed hopes any significant progress on reviving the long-stalled peace negotiations can be made, describing the President’s first trip to the region as “symbolic”.

The President left Israel at 4pm local time (2pm BST) for the Vatican, where he will meet with Pope Francis before heading to a Nato summit in Brussels and a G7 meeting in Italy.