Sen. Marco Rubio warned the White House on Tuesday to be careful not to make negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians worse in an effort to broker peace.
“I think it’s a very noble endeavor. I think the White House and the president need to be careful that in an effort to make things better, we [don’t] end up making things worse,” Mr. Rubio, Florida Republican, said on CNN.
President Trump said during his trip to Israel this week that he believes “the Palestinians are ready for peace” and that he is “personally committed” to help the two groups reach a peace agreement.
Mr. Rubio pointed out that many U.S. administrations have tried to bring peace talks between the two groups, but none has had long-term success.
“The Israelis would love to have peace. The fundamental issue here is the definition of peace. Everyone says they want peace,” the senator said. “If peace means that Israel can no longer retain its nature as a Jewish state, if peace means they have to give up control of Jerusalem, if that’s peace, that’s not peace. That’s not going to happen.
“I hope I’m wrong. I hope there is an agreement that everyone can live with, but I’m not very optimistic,” Mr. Rubio said.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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