At a Wednesday White House press conference, National Security Advisor John Bolton repeatedly insisted that Palestine had no claim to statehood, undermining President Trump's stated support for a two-state solution to the Israel/Palestine conflict.
Noting that the president "had recommitted his goal to achieving a two state solution", a reporter asked Bolton if referring to Palestine as a "so-called state' was "productive in his goal?"
"Of course," Bolton replied. "It is not a state now. It does not meet the customary international law test of statehood. It didn't control defined boundaries. It doesn't fulfill the normal functions of government. There are a whole host of reasons why it is not a state."
"Calling it the 'so-called state of Palestine' defines exactly what it has been," Bolton added. "We don't recognize it as the state of Palestine. We have consistently across Democratic and Republican administrations opposed the admission of Palestine to the United Nations as a state because it is not a state."
Earlier this year, the Trump administration killed U.S. funding for the United Nations' aid for Palestinian refugees.
