Trump’s statements comes after he received King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan in the Oval Office on Monday.
“A lot of progress has been made in the Middle East. A lot. And it really started with the end of the horrible Iran deal. That deal was a disaster, and things are a lot different since we ended that. A lot different,” Trump said.
However, the US President failed to elaborate on his statement. He did not cite any examples of what he termed ‘progress’. Trump made no effort to answer questions on when he planned to present his plan to achieve a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Trump’s advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner and the White House envoy to the Middle East, Jason Greenblatt are given the charge of drawing up the plans. The duo team had traveled to Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Israel last week, for the purpose of completing the project.
The Jordan king’s Washington visit is considered an attempt to influence the US plan. The plan is expected to suggest solutions to some of the major disputes between the Israelis and Palestinians. Prior to his visit, King Abdullah II had met Kushner and Greenblatt in Amman.
It did not come as a surprise that neither of the leaders spoke of the peace process during their statements. King Abdulla II had earlier criticised Trump for recognising Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. But now seemed to hail his host.
Trump who seemed very pleased said, “Remember, he used the word ‘humility’ with respect to me, so I am very happy with that word. That’s probably the nicest compliment I’ve been given in a long time”.
The US head of state also congratulated the King for doing “an incredible job on the refugees and the camps and taking care of people.”
