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What Jordan's king told Trump

The Palestinian leadership has failed thus far to establish direct channels of communication with the White House, but Jordan’s King Abdullah II may have succeeded in transmitting at least one of its messages to President Donald Trump.
Jordan's King Abdullah (L) speaks with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, U.S., February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTX2ZCD3

The statement by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer put an end to the euphoria of Israel’s right-wing sector. Formerly, the right had thought that Donald Trump’s entry to the White House would release all the brakes and barriers regarding the settlements and give Netanyahu’s government a blank check to build and enlarge an unlimited number of settlements to his heart’s desire.

Spicer released his statement Feb. 2 — not as part of the White House daily briefing or as an answer to a question posed by journalists, but at the White House’s own initiative. The statement is well-written and formulated, and implies that the “settlement party” is over. “The construction of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements beyond their current borders may not be helpful in achieving that goal [of peace],” announced Spicer in the name of the US president.

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