Trump arrives in Israel; aides downplay peace deal expectations

The president, who has said he wants to seal the “ultimate deal” to resolve the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, will hold talks with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders during the two-day stop.

At a summit in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Trump reiterated his belief that peace between the Israelis and Palestinians was possible.

But experts who have tried, and failed, believe conditions outside Trump’s control make a peace deal impossible right now, says Politico. At 82 years old, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority is in succession mode, and he lacks an electoral mandate. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reliant on the right-wing parties in his coalition to maintain power, preventing him from making any territorial concessions in the West Bank.

The president's lead envoy on peace is Jason Greenblatt, who for two decades has been the chief attorney overseeing large transactions for the Trump Organization.

Here is a rundown of the Israeli-Palestinian issues at play during the visit, from The Associated Press.

In Trump's speech on Sunday to dozens of leaders from across the Muslim world who had gathered in Saudi Arabia, he pivoted away from his assessment of Islam as a religion of hatred as he sought to redefine U.S. leadership in the Mideast and rally the Muslim world to join him in a renewed campaign against extremism.

He rejected the idea that the fight against terrorism was a struggle between religions, and he promised not to scold the leaders about human rights in their countries. But he challenged them to step up their efforts to counter a “wicked ideology” and purge the “foot soldiers of evil” from their societies.

“This is not a battle between different faiths, different sects or different civilizations,” Trump said. “This is a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life and decent people, all in the name of religion, people that want to protect life and want to protect their religion. This is a battle between good and evil.”

His "measured tone here was a far cry from his incendiary language on the campaign trail last year, when he said that 'Islam hates us' and called for a 'total and complete shutdown' of Muslims entering the United States,” says The New York Times.

Throughout his visit to Saudi Arabia, the president was "disciplined and relentlessly on message in a way he is often not at home,” says the Times. "He did not brag about his electoral victory and avoided tangents. With few exceptions, he stuck carefully to his teleprompter. His mood has been sober and careful.”

Trump has gotten along well with his fellow leaders, "who have turned to flattery,” says the Times.

“You are a unique personality that is capable of doing the impossible,” said Egyptian President el-Sisi.

“I agree!” said Trump.