In a phone call last year with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump asked him if he actually cares about peace, Axios reported on Sunday.
According to three sources familiar with the call, the background to the conversation was that Trump was pressing Netanyahu on the importance of reaching a deal for Mideast peace. The president had read reports about the prime minister planning on additional building in settlements to please his right-wing base in Israel, which Trump thought was unnecessarily angering the Palestinians and asked the question in the midst of a longer talk that was mostly friendly and complimentary.
Axios did not include how Netanyahu answered the question.
A White House senior official said in response to the report that "The president has an extremely close and candid relationship with the prime minister of Israel and appreciates his strong efforts to enhance the cause of peace in the face of numerous challenges."
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders added that "The president has great relationships with a number of foreign leaders, but that doesn't mean he can't be aggressive when it comes to negotiating what's best for America."
Trump has made trying to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a major priority since becoming president, according to The Times of Israel.
Early on in his administration, he put together a diplomatic team, led by his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Mideast envoy Jason Greenblatt, to push for a peace agreement.
However, the administration has still not publicized its peace plan, and efforts to forge a deal have stalled, at least publicly, since Palestinians fumed at Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and announced plans to move the U.S. embassy there.
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