Jerusalem off the table, says Trump

The United States President Donald Trump said that the US had taken Jerusalem off the negotiating table, during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu here on Thursday.

However, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas criticised Trump's decision and said that if Jerusalem "was off the table, then the US would be also off the table".

The US President also slammed Abbas for refusing to meet with Vice-President Mike Pence during his recent Middle East trip.

During the meeting with Netanyahu, Trump discussed the "flaws" in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Both the leaders have pledged to address the flaws in the deal and make efforts to restart peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine, the local media reported.

Trump also called on Palestine that if it wanted to receive aid from the US, then it must return to peace talks with the US.

Netanyahu suggested a "new model" for peace, where the Palestinians would be allowed to govern themselves, but maintain Israeli control over security. He also rejected endorsing a two-state solution, favoured by Palestine and most countries.

The Palestinians, who already have limited autonomy in parts of the West Bank, are unlikely to accept such a proposal. They seek all of West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza for an independent Palestine state.

On December 6 last year, relations between Palestine and the US turned sour, when Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, prompting international criticism and sparking protests across the world.

Jerusalem is considered a sacred place, which is home to Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites. However, it is also a disputed territory, contested by both Israel and Palestine, which sees it as a capital of its future state.