APN's President and CEO Debra DeLee said: "Americans for Peace Now welcomes the President's stated commitment to Israeli-Palestinian peace and commends his stated willingness to pursue it as a broker or as a facilitator. If Trump's words today are more than stated intentions, if he really intends to seriously pursue a viable Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, he must back these statements up with meaningful action. *If he does, we will leverage our influence and experience to support him.
"President Trump must realize, however, that brokering peace between Israelis and Palestinians requires tenacity and firmness, a willingness to risk political capital and to devote national resources, to engage in intense international cooperation, and much more.
"Brokering a deal between Israelis and Palestinians is not for the faint of heart or for the impatient. It starts with a commitment to a two-state solution – the only viable solution for the conflict – and with assigning a solid dedicated staff at the National Security Council, the Department of State and other agencies. These are two steps that Trump still needs to take. It requires personal presidential involvement and a sustained investment of Presidential time and credit. It calls for exercising presidential authority to apply pressure on intransigent parties and the ability to resist push-back by antagonistic domestic pressure groups. It calls for a deep understanding of the conflict, the stakeholders, the questions in dispute, the history and the stakes involved. It calls for a lot of learning.
"Middle East peacemaking requires patience, humility, credible authority, and doggedness. Trump's first 100 days in office do not indicate the President's ability to master these skills. We strongly urge him to do just that, if he is to serve as an effective steward of Middle East peace."
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