Trump: Palestinian, Israelis Ready to "Reach for Peace"
KING: Welcome back. If you're watching with us, last look, President Trump just landed in Rome moments ago. That stop three on a nine-day international debut for the president. A Vatican meeting with Pope Francis is the main event tomorrow. Those two leaders, big difference is of climate change, immigration, and other issues. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the focus earlier today. President Trump traveled to Bethlehem to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. His public remarks touchdown on an issue were told was raised more pointedly in their private talks. Palestinian payments to families of convicted terrorists.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Peace can never take root in an environment where violence is tolerated. Funded and even rewarded. We must be resolute in condemning such acts in a single unified voice.</s>KING: Before flying to Rome, the president concluded his trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories with a stop back in Israel at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.</s>TRUMP: And I had a meeting this morning with President Abbas and can tell you that the Palestinians are ready to reach for peace. I know you've heard it before. I am telling you that's what I do. They are ready to reach for peace. And my meeting with my very good friend Benjamin, I can tell you also that he is reaching for peace.</s>KING: God bless him. And I mean that genuinely that he's trying. But is there -- do we see any substance behind this optimism? He is friends with Mr. Netanyahu when President Obama was not. So if you're asking for a personal favor or a little extra personal space, perhaps this president has it in a way the prior president didn't. But whether it's the issue of the Palestinians stopping these payments, having effective governance, having the political courage and the space to come to the table or the prime minister stopping settlement construction, dealing with his very tight coalition within Israel, having the political courage and the political space to come to the table, is that there beneath the president's effort which is to be applauded?</s>NAFTALI BENDAVID, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: I don't think we're getting any indication that it is. There's a little bit of a pattern here of administrations coming in and talking optimistically, having high hopes, getting credit for their big aspiration and then they hit against the reality of the Middle East. There's the issue of settlements, there's the issue of East Jerusalem. Mr. Abbas raised both of those actually in his talks and it's great that people are speaking positively. But ultimately there's no real sign that any of these things have changed. And there's another point to be made which is that even if somehow Mr. Abbas and Mr. Netanyahu were to agree, they have followers who may not necessarily disagree. And the issue of terrorism, the issue of the settlements have only gotten harder and more intractable. So you can't, you know, criticize them for getting positive statements. But whether it really means that this is different and that we're on the (inaudible) of peace in the Middles East I think that's something we really need to reserve judgment on.</s>LAURA MECKLER, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: I don't just miss the possibility that Donald Trump who has a very different style than all of his predecessors could, you know, potentially approach this in a different way. And who knows, nothing here (inaudible) worked so maybe he could. However, I do fundamentally think that whether there's -- if and when there is peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians has a lot more to do with them than does has to do with us. I mean, (inaudible) come there, show up one day, say these things, say they're both reaching for peace and then he's off to Rome. You know, the people who live there are the ones who have to make this decision. And I don't think we've seen to go to your question any real evidence that either side is willing to make the tough decisions. To sell the tough decisions to their people that need to be done in order to bring them together. So I just think that this is --</s>JACKIE KUCINICH, THE DAILY BEAST: And frankly we haven't seen any evidence that the president's skill set in business has transferred to politics in any way, shape or form. I mean, he barely got health care -- helps get health care through the House Republican conference. I mean, my goodness, those are a group of people that actually in theory should listen to him. So -- and when he says this is what I do, oh, that's what you did. We haven't seen evidence that you can do that now.</s>KING: And -- I mean, I'm waiting -- we're going to see Jared Kushner shuffle diplomacy if it's truly is his portfolio. I don't say (inaudible) but if you're going to do this, I remember, you know, that Camp David and Bill Clinton tried for years and years and years and thought he was right there and then it collapsed at the last minute. It takes a lot of work.</s>MICHAEL CROWLEY, POLITICO: It takes a lot of work and even Donald Trump who after coming into the office said some things to be effective, you know, this isn't so hard, I think I can do it. Now more recently much like health care is saying things to be effective, who knew that this was so hard and complicated. And similarly when he first came into office we saw a lot of talk, heard a lot of talk about Jared Kushner being the peace maker, the outsider who will come in as part of his portfolio that includes five other world historical projects, hearing a little less about Jared's direct role. I think reality is settling on them. Last thing I would add is, for someone like Donald Trump who's not an expert on the region, he's going to come (inaudible) both leaders, they always say we want peace. I mean, the concern that this is a naive reaction. That boy, they both told me they want peace. They've been saying that for years. The gap is still really wide. I'm not optimistic he can bridge it.</s>KING: Well, we'll check this is one of those things that again applaud the effort, check back in three months, six months, nine months, see if there's actually been any progress. There is no peace process, there's no process at the moment. We'll see. When we come back, more on the former CIA Director James -- John Brennan, excuse me on Capitol Hill today. Pressed on whether there's collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin in the 2016 presidential campaign. More on his very interesting answer, next.