On his first big interview with one of his biggest supporters on Television Fox News’ Sean Hannity Thursday night, President Donald Trump refused to provide conclusive answers on the two questions that could illustrate the difference between the Obama and Trump Administrations’ decisions regarding Israel. Instead, the new president offered inconclusive answers.
The exchange regarding Israel in this context came around minute 25 of the 38-minute interview.
Sean Hannity: Israel, one of our closest partners, Prime Minister Netanyahu is coming, one of the big issues is embassy Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. How important is it to repair this relationship, and what about that move of the embassy.
President Donald Trump: It’s repaired.
Hannity: It’s repaired already?
Trump: It got repaired as soon as I…
Hannity: Took five minutes?
Trump: Yea. We have a good relationship. Israel ahs been treated very badly. We have a good relationship.
Hannity: And you’re holding back the last minute money hat President Obama gave to he Palestinians.
Trump: We’ll see what happens, I don’t want to talk about it.
Hannity: Where do you stand on the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem?
Trump: I don’t want to talk about it yet. It’s too early.
Hannity: Not yet?
And they moved to different topics.
On Thursday, Husam Zomlot, strategic affairs advisor to the Mahmoud Abbas, told RIA Novosti: “We have already received the last sum assigned by Obama’s administration. They have transferred this money.”
Zomlot also said he hoped the Trump Administration “will carry on with the [PA] policy that their predecessors had,” and reassured RIA Novosti that “once they [the US] announce a new position, we will react.”
As to the embassy move, one of the most publicized changes in the new Administration’s treatment of Israel, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani who came to Israel this week with messages from Trump to Prime Minister Netanyahu, assured the local media it will likely take “six months or so” for the new Administration to develop its own peace strategy for the Middle East, and so, regarding that embassy move, Giuliani said, “I think you’ve got to wait a little bit, but it will get done.”
