Sen. Marco Rubio said Tuesday he's "not optimistic" over President Donald Trump's talk of a peace accord between Israel and the Palestinian Authority because what the Palestinians would consider a peaceful solution would not be acceptable to either the United States or Israel.
"If peace means Israel can no longer retain their Jewish state or give up control of Jerusalem, if that's peace, that's not going to happen," the Florida Republican told CNN's "New Day" program.
"From the Palestinian leadership's perspective, I don't think their definition of peace fits within what most of us at least here in Congress and in the United States find as peace."
Rubio called Trump's trip and call for a peace process a "noble endeavor" that every president has tried for years, and it has never worked because there are too many definitions behind what that peace would involve.
"We need to try to begin to create those conditions, more prosperity, more security and then reach a point where there is the opportunity to go further," said Rubio. "Again, I hope I'm wrong. I hope there is an agreement. I truly do. But I'm not optimistic."
Rubio also said Tuesday he believes that Trump and the White House "need to be careful that in an effort to make things better, we end up making things worse."
As things stand now, though, Rubio said he does not believe the conditions for the "sort of peace we all desire" exist.
"We need to try to begin to create those conditions [through] more prosperity and more security, and then reach a point where there is the opportunity to go further," said Rubio.
"But again, I hope I'm wrong. I hope there is an agreement. I truly do. But I'm not optimistic."