Fed’s Caution
The US Federal Reserve’s decision to lower its benchmark interest rate to a range of 4.25-4.50 per cent marks a turning point in its monetary policy.
US President Donald Trump has declined to give a timeline for releasing Washington’s plan for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, saying that neither party was committed to the process, the media reported.
“We are going to see what goes on,” Trump told the Israel Hayom daily in an interview released on Sunday.
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“Right now, I would say the Palestinians are not looking to make peace, they are not looking to make peace. And I am not necessarily sure that Israel is looking to make peace… So we are just going to have to see what happens,” he said.
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The US’ role as a broker in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has come under fire following the Trump administration’s decision in December to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, upending seven decades of US foreign policy, CNN reported.
Top Palestinian officials condemned the move, saying it disqualified the US from playing the role of arbiter. The UN voted overwhelmingly to condemn the decision.
The Israeli daily was also asked about his comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos that “Jerusalem is off the table” in terms of negotiations.
In his reply, he seemed to qualify his earlier remarks, reports CNN.
“I wanted to make it clear that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel,” he told the newspaper.
“As for specific boundaries, I would support what both sides agreed to.
“I think both sides will have to make hard compromises to reach a peace agreement,” Trump added.
Asked about the issue of settlements, the US President called them “something that very much complicates and always have complicated making peace”.
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