US, Israel officials discuss peace, settlement

Washington: Senior Trump administration officials have held intensive consultations with an Israeli delegation to advance the prospects for a genuine and lasting peace between Israel and Palestine, the White House has said.

A principal focus of the discussions was specific measures that could have a meaningful impact on the economic environment in the West Bank and Gaza, allowing the Palestinians to more fully realise their economic potential, it said.

While the American delegation was led by Jason Greenblatt, President Donald Trump's Special Representative for International Negotiations, the Israeli delegation was led by the Chief of Staff to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Horowitz.

"The issues the two delegations discussed are exceptionally complicated, and the fact that both governments dedicated such senior delegations for nearly a full week of talks reflects the close cooperation between the two countries and the importance both assign to this vital task," the joint statement read.

The two delegations also discussed Israeli settlement construction, following up on Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to Washington and Greenblatt's recent visit to Israel.

The US reiterated Trump's concerns regarding settlement activity in the context of moving towards a peace agreement. The Israeli delegation made clear that Israel’s intent is to adopt a policy regarding settlement activity that takes those concerns into consideration.

Meanwhile, the US Senate on Thursday confirmed the nomination of David Friedman as the US Ambassador to Israel. He is known for his hardline views and has been critical of a two-State solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.