US President Donald Trump spoke with Boaz Bismuth, a journalist for the Israel Hayomnewspaper, about his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital city.
At the beginning of the interview, Trump explained that prior to becoming President, he was a man of his word. Now, after his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, he has proof of that, and does not for one second regret his decision.
When asked which moment during his first year in office was most memorable, Trump didn't hesitate: "I think that Jerusalem was my high point. It was very important that I recognized Jerusalem as your beautiful capital city. This was an extremely important decision for many people, who thanked me [for it]. To be completely honest, there were others who did not thank me. But it was an extremely important promise - and I fulfilled it."
"Did you know ahead of time that you would recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital during your first year in office?"
"Yes, I said that I wanted to do this during my first year," Trump said. "I understand why other presidents failed to keep this promise. They were under extraordinary pressure not to do it. All of the other presidents failed to keep this promise, despite the fact that they promised it during their election campaign. But I understand, because there were enormous efforts to prevent them from keeping their promises."
"What did you mean when you said that your recognition took Jerusalem off the table?"
"By removing Jerusalem from the negotiating table, I made it clear that Jerusalem is Israel's capital. When it comes to the specific borders, I will support whatever decision the sides reach."
"Will Israel need to do anything in exchange for your recognition of Jerusalem?"
"I think that both sides are going to need to make significant compromises in order to achieve a peace agreement."
The full interview will be released on Sunday.
