Arab leaders endorse two-state solution, say ready for reconciliation with Israel

After weeks of heightened unease over the stance of the United States under the Trump administration, Arab leaders reaffirmed on Wednesday their commitment to a two-state solution to the decades-long Arab-Israeli conflict.

They called for a new round of peace talks based on a two-state solution and renewed a 2002 offer of "reconciliation" if Israel quit occupied Arab land and agreed a deal on Palestinian refugees, according to a statement read out after a summit.

US President Donald Trump rattled Arab and European leaders in February by indicating he was open to a one-state solution, upending a position taken by successive administrations and the international community.

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Trump later told Reuters in an interview he liked the concept of a two-state solution but stopped short of reasserting a US. commitment to eventual Palestinian statehood, saying he would be "satisfied with whatever makes both parties happy".

Arab leaders attending a one-day summit beside the Dead Sea did not publicly refer to Trump or his ambiguous statements, but were keen to stress their own continued backing for an independent Palestinian state and also strongly criticised the persistent building of Jewish settlements on occupied territory.

The summit's host, King Abdullah of Jordan, said the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel remained the basis of any comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace deal.

Settlement expansion

"Israel is continuing to expand settlements and wreck chances of peace ... There is no peace or stability in the region without a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause through a two-state solution," he said.

The conference venue is only a few kilomentres from the occupied West Bank where Israeli settlements are clearly visible.

This week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was committed to working with Trump to advance peace efforts with the Palestinians, but he also stopped short of reiterating a commitment to a two-state solution.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas criticised Israeli policy in his speech at Wednesday's summit.

"The Israeli government has since 2009 worked on wrecking the two-state solution by accelerating the tempo of settlements and the confiscation of land," Abbas told the leaders.