Israel's defense minister has expressed indifference to President Donald Trump's backing of a two-state solution for the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
Trump's endorsement of the goal of a Palestinian state, long the focus of US peace efforts before he came into office, was decidedly lukewarm -- and he even slightly backtracked from it later in the day.
But it still sparked concern among some Israeli right-wing politicians who hoped Trump would bury the idea of Palestinian statehood once and for all, while Palestinian officials dismissed his comments as empty talk.
Avigdor Lieberman says a Palestinian state "simply doesn't interest me." He says the Israeli interest is "a safe Jewish state."
He says: "Everything else interests us less."
When meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Trump said he backed a two-state solution since "that's what I think works best, that's my feeling."
Later at a news conference, he said the same, but also reiterated his earlier position.
"If the Israelis and the Palestinians want one state, that's OK with me," he said.
"If they want two states, that's OK with me. I'm happy if they're happy."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has in the past reluctantly accepted the concept of Palestinian statehood but has since backtracked. A top coalition partner is threatening to topple his government if it returns to the agenda.
Palestinian officials were dismissive of Trump's comments.
Their leadership cut off contact with the White House after Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December.
Trump has also cut more than $500 million in Palestinian aid.
Palestinian leaders accuse his administration of blatant bias in favor of Israel and of seeking to blackmail them into accepting his terms.
Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki told reporters in New York that Abbas's team met more than 40 times with Trump's envoys only "to discover that they have opted to open that war against the Palestinians to inflict the most damage."
Trump's son-in-law and aide Jared Kushner is part of a team working on what the president has called the "ultimate deal" -- Israeli-Palestinian peace.
The president said Wednesday he would present the long-awaited plan by the end of the year.
The team's efforts have been met with derision from the Palestinians, who note that the Israelis have so far not been asked publicly for any concessions in return for the Jerusalem recognition and other moves they favor.
"Jared, who's so involved, he loves Israel ... But he's also going to be very fair with the Palestinians," Trump told the news conference on Wednesday.
In his address on Thursday, Abbas is expected to urge international action to salvage the option of a two-state solution.
Netanyahu's speech is likely to be focused on Israel's main enemy Iran, particularly its presence in neighboring Syria.
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