today at 5, donald trump welcomes, for the first time, israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu to the white house. the visit comes as palestinian officials express surprise over suggestions by the trump administration that a middle east peace deal may not involve a two—state solution. this is the scene at the white house, where very shortly, the us and israeli leaders will be holding a news conference. meanwhile, the president has lashed out at us intelligence officials and the media, after new reports and allegations of contacts between members of his campaign team last year, and russian intelligence officers.. we'll have all the latest news from washington, including that news conference with the israeli prime minister. the other main stories on bbc news at 5: malaysian police have arrested a woman in connection with the suspected poisoning of the half—brother of north korea's leader, kim jong—un. unemployment remains at an 11 year low, with official figures showing a record number of people in work.

and the hollywood actor harrison ford has been involved in a near—miss with an airliner while flying a single engine plane in california. it's five o'clock, good afternoon. let's ta ke let's take you back to the white house, where president trump and his wife are greeting prime minister benjamin netanyahu and his wife at the white house. it is the first meeting between the two leaders since they both met in 2016, back in september, in new york. it is highly likely that the issue of settlements will be at the very top of the

agenda for both men. 0ne white house official has been quoted as suggesting that perhaps a middle east peace deal, a long—term deal, does not involve a two—state solution. palestinians are very, very worried about that. certainly, hardliners in the israeli cabinet are hoping that will be the case. 0ver are hoping that will be the case. over the last few months, in fact, they have been continuing to build settle m e nts they have been continuing to build settlements in certain parts of occupied west bank. benjamin netanyahu, occupied west bank. benjamin neta nyahu, when occupied west bank. benjamin netanyahu, when donald trump was a candidate for the white house, not that long ago, although it seems like a lifetime now, seemed to support some of his immigration policies, the idea of a wall being built on the southern border with mexico. mr netanyahu believed it was a good idea, a wall, he believed, had helped deal with some of the problems involving palestinian terror attacks. he thought that was a good idea. both men have now moved

inside the white house. they will be having their talks and a press conference will take place. we have lost the picture, but a press conference will take place in the next few minutes. let's go to gary 0'donoghue, standing by. the suggestion from one white house official that a long—term middle east peace will perhaps not involve a two—state solution, is that something that is actually beginning to get any traction in the united states 7 to get any traction in the united states? i think, to be honest, they are feeling their way a little bit towards a policy on israel and the palestinian problem is in the white house. there was a meeting last night where an official was asked if it meant a two—state solution, they said, maybe yes, maybe no. that is what has set this hare running. that

has been a cornerstone of the us approach to the problem for a while 110w. approach to the problem for a while now. today, you probably won't hear too much about that. this is an opportunity for donald trump to hold israel close, to rebuild, restart that relationship that broke down so badly under president 0bama. i think you will hear a lot of talk about iran, because that is something they can agree on. of course, donald trump is not going to repeal the iran nuclear deal, but there may be some talk about how to monitor that, to reinforce the monitoring of that, etc. i don't think israel are expecting donald trump to actually tether thing up entirely. —— tear the thing up. a couple of other issues, when donald trump first game in that there was a lot of talk about quickly moving the american embassy to jerusalem, that seems to have been rolled back on a bit by the trump administration, and that

is not at the top of israel's agenda anyway. they have much more geopolitical concerns about the general region, about improving cooperation with sunni arab countries, to contain iran in particular, and the threat from islamic state as well. a lot of warm words today. there is a clue here, they are having a press conference before they actually have the talks. they may not plan to tell us a great deal of all, because they haven't even talked about it yet! a very good point to make. while this is taking place, and he is thinking about what he will eventually be talking to mr netanyahu about, on the other side of his brain, the continuing issues for mr trump, president trump, concerning contacts with russia, alleged contacts with russia, and possible investigations on the hill into this? yes, he went for the intelligence agencies, on

twitter this morning, in a thai raid in between 7am and 8am this morning, suggesting that the fbi and the nsa, the national security agency, they we re the national security agency, they were interfering in politics, that what they were doing was an american, they were indulging in illegal leaks. this american, they were indulging in illegal lea ks. this is american, they were indulging in illegal leaks. this is all part of the problems that led to the downfall of michael flynn, his national security adviser, and a whole bunch of stories that emerged in the american press about the extent to which michael flynn was in contact with russia. then again, last night, the extent to which the trump campaign, during the election campaign, to what extent some other people associated with the trump campaign were in touch with russian intelligence officers. he has described that particular allegation as nonsense. but he is furious with the intelligence establishment, not for the first time. it is an extraordinary position where the

president is at such loggerheads with those people he has to rely on to keep the country safe. part of the problem for the president himself is, by all accounts, he knew of that conversation between his former national security adviser and the russian envoy in washington 17 days before it became public that this conversation had taken place. and yet he hadn't even told his vice president of this conversation? well, this is striking, isn't it? again, this is coming out through unnamed, anonymous sources. we do know this fact, the justice department told the white house on the 26th of january, look, department told the white house on the 26th ofjanuary, look, michael flynn's public statements about not having discussed sanctions with russia are at odds with what we know from the telephone intercepts. that was passed on to the white house counsel. there was a discussion

about whether or not mr flynn may have done anything illegal, it was decided he had not but there was a trust issue. yes, the vice president had gone on television a week before and absolutely reassured the american people that no such thing had been discussed. then we learned today that the vice president did not find out about that information from the justice not find out about that information from thejustice department until the 9th of february, the end of last week. you can imagine what his reaction must have been when that became clear. of course, within four days, michael flynn had gone. it became a choice, if you like, for the president, between backing this loyal lieutenant, michael flynn, who had been with him right through the campaign, his right—hand man, if you like, and humiliating the vice president, in effect. in the end, it has to be michael flynn that one. we know that the house and the senate

are controlled by the republicans. what is their appetite for launching an investigation into this, an independent investigation, vary in mind that last year the house leadership had no problem issuing 70 letters a nd leadership had no problem issuing 70 letters and subpoenas investigating hillary clinton's private e—mail server? yeah, welcome to the world of partisan politics in congress. there is some appetite, to be fair, not just there is some appetite, to be fair, notjust among there is some appetite, to be fair, not just among democrats, there is some appetite, to be fair, notjust among democrats, there are some republicans that now believe theseissues some republicans that now believe these issues need to be looked into. there is some appetite to do what donald trump wants, and the house intelligence committee is doing is, to look into the nature of the leaks that has caused this problem for the administration. that is a serious issue, you can't dismiss that. it is quite difficult running a government if you're intelligence agencies are chattering away to the new york

times and the washington post on a regular basis. that is quite hard. i think some might point out, of course, when the fbi was accused of getting involved politically, ten days before the election, when it announced a fresh inquiry into hillary clinton's e—mails, i was with donald trump that day in new hampshire. he was absolutely delighted that the fbi had got involved in that way, that time. the lesson is, lea ks involved in that way, that time. the lesson is, leaks are fantastic when you are in opposition, running for something. when you are in power, they are a real pain. indeed. we will probably get back to you later in the programme. let's go back to the live pictures. this is the east room of the white house. all of the journalists are gathered there waiting for that press conference from the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, and president trump. as gary eloquently said, they have not have their summit yet, but they are having a press conference.

perhaps we already have a few pointers as to which way that is going to go. when we get that, we will be live at the white house. the us defence secretary, james mattis, has warned nato allies that washington will moderate its commitment to the alliance unless they boost their spending. mr mattis told defence ministers at nato headquarters in brussels that the american taxpayer could no longer carry a disproportionate share of the defence of western values. the alliance remains a fundamental bedrock for the united states and for all the transatlantic community, bonded as we are, together. as president trump has stated, he has strong support for nato. nato is in the midst of transformation, it has always been adapting to the security challenges. this is nothing new. perhaps the pace of change has certainly picked up a bit. but this is something that we can deal with, and it's absolutely appropriate, the a european minister of defence said last week,

it's a fair demand that all who benefit from the best defence in the world carried a proportionate share of the necessary costs to defend freedom. we should never forget, ultimately, it is freedom that we defend here at nato. a woman has been arrested, in connection with the assassination of the half—brother of north korea's leader kim jong—un. it happened in malaysia where officials say they're hunting five other suspects. south korea believes north korean agents were behind the killing, and says the poisoning shows the brutal, inhumane nature of the regime in pyongyang. the assassination of kim jong—nam took place at kuala lumpur airport, from where karishma vaswani reports. is this one of the female assassins who carried out an audacious attack in kl airport? authorities say a vietnamese woman has been detained as part of the investigation into the alleged assassination of this man, kimjong—nam,

the estranged half brother of north korea's reclusive leader, kim jong—un. at one point, mrjong—nam was being groomed to succeed his father as the next leader of north korea. but he fell out of favour and has been living in exile ever since. how he may have died in kl airport, though, is still unclear. the facts in this case are murky to say the least. there are a number of varying, multiple accounts of what may have happened. what we do know is that between nine and ten o'clock in the morning on monday, a man believed to be kimjong—nam was attacked in this crowded, busy airport. police say he was accosted by at least one woman who covered his face with a cloth filled with some sort of burning chemical. after that, he is thought to have walked over to that information counter to ask for help.

then he was taken to a medical clinic at the airport one floor down. how could an attack of this nature take place in broad daylight in the middle of this airport? i asked a number of people who work here, but no—one was willing to comment. where you should go to for information now is the police. they are the only ones that can give you updates about the investigation. south korea insists that the man who died was kimjong—nam, brutally murdered on the orders of the north korean regime. translation: the government is certainlyjudging that the murdered person is kim jong—nam. since this case is still being investigated we should wait for details until the malaysian government makes an announcement. the focus of the investigation will now move to kl hospital where the body of the man believed to be kimjong—nam is being autopsied. malaysia says it can't confirm his identity or the cause of death until the postmortem is released, which may not happen for another day.

let's ta ke let's take you straight back to the white house, the east room to be specific. we are expecting, in the next few seconds, the president of the united states and his israeli counterpart, benjamin neta nyahu, could take to those two podiums. sean spicer, the white house press secretary, checking the notes on the desk. ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and the prime minister of israel. thank you very much. thank you. today i have the honour

of welcoming my friend, prime minister benjamin netanyahu, to the white house. with this visit, the united states again reaffirms our and —— unbreakable bond with our cherished ally, israel. the partnership between our countries, built on our shared values, has advanced the cause of human freedom, dignity and peace. these are the building blocks of democracy. the state of israel is a symbol to the world of resilience in the face of oppression. i can think of no other state that has gone through what they have gone through. of survival, in the face of genocide. we will never forget what the jewish people have endured. your perseverance in the face of hostility, your open

democracy in the face of violence and your success in the face of tall oddsis and your success in the face of tall odds is truly inspirational. the security challenges faced by israel are enormous, including the threat of iran's nuclear ambitions, which i have talked a lot about. one of the worst deals i've ever seen. the iran deal. my administration has already imposed new sanctions on iran and i will do more to prevent iran from ever developing, i mean ever, a nuclear weapon. security assistance to israel is currently at an all—time high, ensuring that israel has the ability to defend itself from threats, of which there are, u nfortu nately, from threats, of which there are, unfortunately, many. both of our countries will continue and grow. we have a long history of cooperation

in the fight against terrorism and the fight against those who do not value human life. america and israel are two nations that cherish the value of all human life. this is one more reason why value of all human life. this is one more reason why we value of all human life. this is one more reason why we reject unfair and one—sided actions against israel at the united nations, which has treated israel, in my opinion, very, very unfairly, or other international forums, very unfairly, or other internationalforums, as very unfairly, or other international forums, as well as boycotts that target israel. 0ur administration is committed to working with israel and our common allies in the region towards greater security and stability. that includes working towards a peace agreement between israel and the palestinians. the united states will encourage a peace and really a great

peace deal. we will be working on it very diligently. it's very important to me, also, something we want to do. but it is the parties themselves that must directly negotiate such an agreement. we will be alongside, working with them. as with any successful negotiation, both sides will have to make compromises. you know that, right? i want the israeli people to know that the united states stands with israel in the struggle against terrorism. as you know, mr prime minister, our two nations will always condemn terrorist acts. peace requires nations to uphold the dignity of human life and to be a voice for all of those who are endangered and

forgotten. those are the ideals to which we all, and will always aspire and commit. this will be the first of many productive meetings. i j”; i you “if; i you very mr prime minister, i thank you very much for being with us today. mr prime minister, thank you. president trump, thank you for the cruelly warm hospitality you and your wife have shown me, my wife, and ourentire your wife have shown me, my wife, and our entire delegation. —— truly warm hospitality. it was so clearly evident in the words you just spoke. israel has no better ally than the

united states. i want to assure you that the united states has no better ally than israel. 0ur alliance has been remarkably strong. but, under your leadership, i am confident it will get even stronger. i look forward to working with you to dramatically upgrade our alliance in every field, security, technology, cyber, trade and so many others. i welcome your forthright call to ensure that israel is treated fairly in international forums and that the slander and boycotts of israel are resisted mightily by the power and moral position of the united states of america. as you have said, our alliance is based on a deep bond of common values and common interests. increasingly, those values and

interests are under attack by one malevolent force, radical islamic terror. mr president, you have shown great clarity and courage in confronting this challenge head—on. you have called for confronting iran's terrorist regime, preventing iran's terrorist regime, preventing iran from realising this terrible deal into a nuclear arsenal, and you have said that the united states is committed to preventing iran from getting nuclear weapons. you called for the defeat of isis. under your leadership, i believe we can reverse the rising tide of radical islam. in this great task, as in so many others, israel stands with you and i stand with you. mr president, in rolling back militant islam, we can seize an historic opportunity. for

the first time in my lifetime, for the first time in my lifetime, for the first time in my lifetime, for the first time in the life of my country, arab countries in the region do not see israel as an enemy, but, increasingly, as an ally. i believe that, underyour leadership, this change in our region creates an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen security and advance peace. let us seize this moment together. let us bolster security. let us seek new avenues of peace. let us bring the remarkable alliance between israel and the united states to even greater heights. thank you, thank you mr president. thank you again. thank thank ) gzgain tha cg..---,-,fi

christian broadcasting? david brody? christian broadcasting? thank you, both of you have criticised the iran nuclear deal, at times even calling for its repeal. i'm wondering if you are concerned at all, as it relates notjust to the national security adviser michael flynn, who is recently no longer here, but also some of the events that have been going on with communication with russia, if that is going to hamper this deal of all, whether or not it would keep iran from becoming a nuclear state? on the settlement issue, are you both on the same page? michael flynn is a wonderful man, i think he has been treated very, very u nfa i rly think he has been treated very, very unfairly by the media. as i call it, the fake media, in many cases. i think it is really a sad thing he

was treated so badly. i think, in addition to that, from intelligence, papers are being leaked, things are being leaked. it's criminal action, criminal act, and it's been going on for a long time. before me. but now it is really going on. people are trying to cover up for a terrible loss that the democrats had under hillary clinton. i think it's very, very unfair what happened to general flynn, the way he was treated and the documents and papers that were illegally... i stress that, illegally... i stress that, illegally leaked. very, very unfair. i would like to see you hold back on settle m e nts i would like to see you hold back on settlements for a little bit. we will work something out. i would like to see a deal be made. i think a deal will be made. i know that every president would like to, most of them have not started until late because they never thought it was possible. and it wasn't possible,

because they didn't do it. but we have known each other a long time, a smart man, great negotiator, and i think we are going to make a deal. it might be a bigger and better deal than people in this room even understand, that is a possibility. let's see what we do. doesn't sound too optimistic, but... good negotiator! that's the art of the deal. sarah, could you please stand 7 deal. sarah, could you please stand you deal. sarah, could you please stand up? you are so lovely, and you have been so nice. mr president, in your vision for middle east peace, are you willing

to give up the notion of a two—state solution that was adopted by previous administrations? will you be willing to hear different ideas from the prime minister and saw his partners, what they're asking to do, example, annexation of parts of the we st example, annexation of parts of the west bank, unrestricted settlement construction is? and are you going to fulfil your promise to move the us embassy in israel tojerusalem? if so, when? mr prime minister, did you come here tonight to tell the president that you are backing off on the two—state solution? president that you are backing off on the two-state solution? i'm looking at two state, one state, i like the one that both parties like. i'm very happy with the one that both parties like. i can live with either one. i thought for a while the two—state looked like it would be the easier of the two. honestly, if bibi and the palestinians, israel and the palestinians are happy, i am happy with the one they like the best. as far as the busy moving to

jerusalem, i would love to see that happen. we are looking at it very, very strongly. we are looking at it with great care, great care, believe me. we will see what happens. 0k? thank you. i read yesterday an american official said that if you asked five people what two state would look like, you would get eight different answers. if you ask five israelis, you would get 12 different answers. rather than deal with labels, i want to deal with substance. it is something i hoped to do for years, in a world that is absolutely fixated on labels, and not on substance. here is the substance. there are two brewer —— prerequisites for peace. they have

not changed. first, the palestinians must recognise the jewish state. they have to stop calling for israel's destruction. they have to stop educating people for israel's destruction. in any agreement, israel must retain the overriding security control over the entire area west of the jordan river. if we don't, we know what will happen. otherwise, we will have another radical islamic terrorist state in the palestinian areas, exploding the piece, exploding the middle east. unfortunately, the palestinians are vehemently reject both prerequisites for peace. they continue to call for israel's destruction, inside their schools, the mosques, the textbooks, they have to be read to be believed. they even deny the historical connection to our homeland. you have to ask yourself, why are jews called

jew is not a question of the chinese are called chinese because they come from china. jews are called that because they come from judy. this is our ancestral homeland. —— from judea. palestinians not only deny the past, they poison the present. they named squares in honour of people that murdered israelis, and who also murdered americans. they pay monthly salaries to the families of murderers, like the family of the terrorist who killed a wonderful young american, stabbed to death while visiting israel. this is the source of the conflict, the persistent palestinian refusal to recognise any boundary, persistent rejection. that is why we don't have peace. that has to change. i wanted

to change not only have i not abandoned these prerequisites, they have become even more important because of the rising tide of fanaticism that has swept the middle east and has also infected palestinian society. i want this to change. i want these prerequisites reinstated. but if anyone believes that i, as prime minister of israel, responsible for the security of my country, would walk into a palestinian terrorist state that seeks the destruction of my country, they are gravely mistaken. the prerequisites of peace, recognition of the jewish state and israel's security needs, west ofjordan, they remain pertinent. we have to look for new ways, new ideas, how to reinstate them and how to move peace forward. i believe the great opportunity for peace comes from a

regional approach, from involving our new—found arab partners in their pursuit of a broader peace and peace with palestinians. i greatly look forward to discussing this in detail with you, mr president, because i think that if we work together we have a shot. we have been discussing that. it is something that is very different and has not been discussed before. it is actually a much bigger deal, a much more important deal in a sense. it would take in many, many countries and cover a very large territory. i didn't know you were going to be mentioning that. now that you did, i think it is a terrific thing. we have some good cooperation from people that in the past would never have thought about doing this. we will see how that works out. katie

from town hall. you said in your earlier remarks that both sides would have to make compromises when it comes to a peace deal. you mentioned a halt on settlements. can you mention —— layout some specific compromises you have for the israelis and the palestinians? what expectations do you have from the new administration about how to eitheramend new administration about how to either amend the new administration about how to eitheramend the iran new administration about how to either amend the iran nuclear agreement, or how to dismantle it altogether? and how to work to combat iran's increased aggression not only in recent months, but in re ce nt not only in recent months, but in recent years as well? it is actually an interesting question. i think the israelis will have to show some flexibility. it's hard to do. they are going to have to show the fact they really want to make a deal. i think our new concept that we have been discussing for a while is something that allows them to show

more flexibility than they have in the past, because you have a lot bigger canvas to play with. and i think they will do that. i think they would very much like to make a deal. i wouldn't be happy and i wouldn't be here and i wouldn't be as optimistic as i am. i can tell you from the standpoint of bb and israel, they want to make a deal. i think the palestinians have to get rid of some of that hate that they are taught from a very young age. they are taught tremendous head. i have seen what they are taught. —— hate. it starts at a very young age and it starts in the schoolroom. they have to acknowledge israel. they have to acknowledge israel. they are going to have to do that. there is no way a deal can be made if they are not ready to acknowledge a very, very great and important

country. and i think they are going to be willing to do that also. but now i also believe we are going to have other players at a very high level, and i think it may make it easier on both the palestinians and israel to get something done. thank you. very interesting question. thank you. you asked about iran. one thing is preventing iran from getting nuclear weapons, something that president trump and i, i think, are deeply committed to do. we are busy going to discuss that. president trump has led a very important effort in the past few weeks coming into the presidency. he pointed out that violations, the iranians violations on ballistic missile is. by the way, these ballistic missiles are inscribed in hebrew. israel must be destroyed. the iranians foreign minister said

their missiles were not intended against any country. they write on the missile, in hebrew, israel must be destroyed. challenging iran on its ballistic missiles, imposing sanctions on hezbollah, preventing them, making them pay for the terrorism they foment throughout the middle east and beyond, ithink that's a change that is clearly evident since president trump took office. i welcome that. i welcome it. i think it's long overdue. if we work together, notjust it. i think it's long overdue. if we work together, not just the united states and israel, but sony others in the region on the great magnitude and dangerof in the region on the great magnitude and danger of the iranians threat, i

think we can roll back iran's aggression and danger. that is important for israel and america. these guys are developing a nuclear arsenal. they want to get to 100 bombs. they want to have the ability to launch them everywhere on earth and eventually the united states. this is important for all of us. i welcome the change fence to work with president trump very closely so we can thwart this danger. mr president, since your election campaign and afteryour president, since your election campaign and after your victory, we have seen a sharp rise in anti—semitic incident across the united states. i wonder what you say to those among the jewish community in the united states, israel and

around the world, who believe and feel that your administration is playing with xenophobia and baby racist tones? mr prime minister, do you agree what the president said about stopping settlement activity in the west bank? do you back off from your vision of a two state solution, or do you still support it? well, ijust want solution, or do you still support it? well, i just want to solution, or do you still support it? well, ijust want to say solution, or do you still support it? well, i just want to say that we are very it? well, i just want to say that we are very honoured by the victory that we had. 306 electoral college votes. we were not supposed to crack tupe —— 220. there is tremendous enthusiasm out there. i would say that we are going to have peace in this country. we are going to stop crime in this country. we are going

to do everything within our power to stop long simmering racism and every other thing that is going on. a lot of bad things have been taking place over a long period of time. one of the reasons i won the election is because we have a very, very divided nation. and hopefully, iwill because we have a very, very divided nation. and hopefully, i will be able to do something about that. nation. and hopefully, i will be able to are omething about that. nation. and hopefully, i will be able to are we ething about that. nation. and hopefully, i will be able to are we talking about that. nation. and hopefully, i will be able to are we talking about hat. . l”, ,, ,. m. ,. fl--. v...” or l llll l, l lll l l llllll lllll or another l llll ll l lll l l llllll lllll oranother iran? l llll ll l lll l l llllll lllll or another iran? obviously it rica or another iran? obviously it means different things. i told you what i believe the conditions are necessary for an agreement. the recognition of the jewish state. and israel's security control of the entire area. otherwise we are just fantasising. otherwise we will get another failed state, another islamist dictatorship that will not work for peace but work to destroy us, but destroy any hope for a peaceful future for our people. i have been very clear about those conditions. and they haven't

changed. i haven't changed. if you read what i said eight years ago, it is exactly that. i repeated that again and again. if you want to deal with labels, deal with labels. i'll deal with substance. if i can respond to, something i know from personal experience, i've known president trump for many years. and to allude to him or his people, his team, some of whom i've known for many years, two, kalla revealed how long we have known each other? well, he was never small, he was always big. he was always tall. i've known the president and i have known his family and his team for a long time. there is no greater supporter of the jewish people and the jewish state than president donald trump. we should put that to rest. thank you

very much, prime minister. i appreciate that very much. you haven't seen that joint appreciate that very much. you haven't seen thatjoint press conference from and conference from president trump and benjamin netanyahu of israel. a very interesting. lots of things came out of that. including references to the two state solution. is it still on the table as the focus of any comprehensive middle east peace deal? they talked about iran. there we re deal? they talked about iran. there were a couple of questions about the problems concerning michael flynn. let's talk to gary o'donoghue. the two state solution, donald trump said that both sides will have to make compromises. he said he hoped the israelis will hold off from building settlements for a while. is it on clear or is it still the case

that america is backing a two state solution? i wasn't100% clear from that press conference. it wasn't. there was more substance in that and we thought there might be. a good deal of substance. what he said was that he didn't mind either way whether it was one state or two states. he wanted be solution that the israelis and the palestinians could agree on. so in a sense that is relegating that importance of the two state solution, the cornerstone of american policy for all these yea rs, to of american policy for all these years, to the back burner, and saying that is not what counts. but also endorsing this idea that benjamin netanyahu also endorsing this idea that benjamin neta nyahu has also endorsing this idea that benjamin netanyahu has been pursuing for some time, of a kind of regional deal, a deal that brings in the sunni arab countries, who are also concerned about places like iran, in particular, and getting them to weigh in on a deal that can put the

palestinians in a position to agree to something with israel. i thought that was quite interesting. that strategy is now going to be a much broader regional strategy. donald trump backed that idea. yes he did say he would like them to hold off on the settlements. and yes he did say he expected compromises from both sides. you heard benjamin netanyahu both sides. you heard benjamin neta nyahu off both sides. you heard benjamin netanyahu off microphone saying, yes, both sides. then this huge warm embrace of words between the two, talking about their friendship, the unbreakable bond between the countries. and right at the end, benjamin netanyahu countries. and right at the end, benjamin neta nyahu saying countries. and right at the end, benjamin netanyahu saying there was no greater friend of the jewish people than donald trump. in the middle of all that, that extraordinary defence of michael flynn. it's only yesterday that the president's press secretary said michael flynn had to go because of a trust issue, because trust had

broken down and a series of other things as well. what had been said about the sanctions. here we have donald trump today not mentioning the trust issue. just saying, well, he isa the trust issue. just saying, well, he is a great man, he has been treated unfairly by a fake media. nothing to do with whether or not he misled the vice president. whether he broke the law on contacts with foreign powers. whether he wasn't straight about it. nothing to do with that at all. according to the president, just the result of unfair treatment by the media. thank you for that. gary o'donoghue. we are going to get a little bit more now. david schenker is director of the program on arab politics at the washington institute for near east policy. previously, he served as a middle east adviser to the defence secretary. hejoins me now via webcam from washington.

i don't know if you managed to hear much of that press conference. you are nodding, so that is good. do you believe as far as the trump administration is concerned, a two state solution is still on the table? yes, what we heard from the president is this is for both parties to decide themselves. i think us policy has been in support ofa think us policy has been in support of a two state solution. but it also has been that the modalities of whatever piece is reached will be determined through bilateral negotiations between the palestinians and the israelis. i think this is remarkably surprisingly consistent with this decades long policy. does that mean that america will attempt to be an honest broker, bringing the two sides together to try to find this deal? we don't know much about how

the trump administration will approach the issue. what we do know is what he said. if the palestinians and the israelis agree to a one state solution, he doesn't have a dog in that fight. i presently can't believe that the palestinians, or most israelis, will want that solution because of the demographics. but listen, is for them to decide. i don't think that is moving away from being an honest broker. isn't that a truism? both sides in a negotiation decide the deal is the deal, of course no outside party will say, no, you must have a two state solution. if you are saying the israelis and the palestinians, whatever they agree is fine by me, the point is they haven't agreed anything for a0 odd yea rs. haven't agreed anything for a0 odd years. that is the problem. yeah, listen, personally i don't think that one state solution works. but

if you look at what an increasing number of palestinians are saying, they are saying, we will not get a once “— they are saying, we will not get a once —— two state solution, we will ta ke once —— two state solution, we will take a one state. over time we will have more babies than the israelis and fight this war demographically. is that really the case? would they be happy with a one state solution? no, absolutely not. the leadership is not there yet. but a lover palestinians on the ground are throwing up their hands saying, maybe this is the best we can do. any of these decisions are going to have to be made with the agreement of both parties. otherwise we have no deal. i think he is throwing it back into the palestinian and israeli court saying, if you guys wa nt israeli court saying, if you guys want a one state solution, good for you. we will not fight that. i think the council and the traditional

wisdom is that will not be productive for either side. let's move on to the iran deal. the suggestion it is the worst deal ever. president trump said that before. the israelis say that as well. is there any suggestion they will throw it out completely or tinker with it? i don't think it is possible to tinker with it. behind closed doors i think they are talking about how they can enforce it better and then take care of other issues relating to iran which we re other issues relating to iran which were mentioned at the press conference, which is the incredibly destabilising and regional behaviour of iran ranging from iraq to syria. if the administration takes a robust approach towards that, the israelis would be very happy. as would many of ourarab would be very happy. as would many of our arab allies in the gulf. david, thank you. johnny dymond is

injerusalem. president david, thank you. johnny dymond is in jerusalem. president trump david, thank you. johnny dymond is injerusalem. president trump seems to be suggesting it both sides fancy a one state solution, he would be happy with that. i'm sure everyone would be happy. one suspects the palestinians are not happy with a one state solution? you can read what you want into a one state solution. there are certainly palestinians to say, yeah, we will have a one state solution, but that means we have the same civil rights asa means we have the same civil rights as a israelis do. that means the vote. that means the same protection under the law. if you acknowledge that, it is the end of israel as a jewish state. and that is not something which people in israel will countenance. that is why all the conversation, for so long now, has been about two state solution. two groups led by different people

occupying different land and running their countries in different ways. a one state solution is a completely different situation. and one which the realities of a one state says —— one state solution are entirely unacceptable either to the palestinians, if it means they don't get a vote and other rights, or to the israelis, if the palestinians do get the vote and it means the end of israel as we know it today. i think when you do say, look, i am leaving it to the parties, what you are doing is ripping up 30 years of american foreign policy towards the middle east. and secondly, you are taking pressure off the israeli government to move down the path which has been agreed in nearly every international conference and by nearly every member of the international community interested in this issue, which is to try and guide a solution towards two

separate states. i am not sure a one state solution is a solution as far as most people are concerned because the disagreements on the status of palestinians within that state would render it almost meaningless. clearly there is a sense from some within the israeli cabinet that the settle m e nts within the israeli cabinet that the settlements that have already been built on the west bank, something like 600,000 homes, possibly increases to those settlements as well, they will be folded into, potentially annexed by israel...|j think potentially annexed by israel...” think there is an acknowledgement that the majority of settlements in the west bank and in eastjerusalem will be retained by israel. there was always an acknowledgement that there would be land swaps with the palestinians if there was going to bea palestinians if there was going to be a final deal. a two state deal. that there would be land is swapped

in compensation of sort for land taken settlements. the question faced by the settlements now is whether or not a palestinian state is even viable, because the settle m e nts is even viable, because the settlements have cut off east jerusalem, which the palestinians see as their eventual capital, and if planned settlements go ahead, they will bisect the west bank. that would mean there would not be one piece of territory you could call a palestinian state. so the settle m e nts palestinian state. so the settlements are still important. they have been perhaps pushed to one side in some rather loose language in the press conference. but they are very, in the press conference. but they are very, very important to the palestinians, not just because are very, very important to the palestinians, notjust because of the land that is consumed by them, but because of their position and because of the way in which they would break up any potential

palestinian state. thank you, johnny dymond. the day's other issue from washington has been the allegations of repeated contact between some of president trump's team and senior russian officials during last week's —— last year's election campaign. joining me now from new york is evan mcmullin, a former independent presidential candidate, cia officer, and co—founder of stand up republic, a pro—democracy organisation in america. i don't know if you caught any of that press conference with benjamin netanyahu that press conference with benjamin neta nyahu and that press conference with benjamin netanyahu and mr trump. president trump was essentially saying he believes michael flynn has been treated shabbily, particularly by the security agencies, and by the press. he neglected to mention he forced him to resign. but he believes he has been treated very badly indeed. what are your thoughts? it's interesting that

president trump continues to attack the press and the intelligence organisations rather than responding to the very, very serious allegation that seems to be more and more confirmed by facts that our revealed day by day, that he and his team have unusual, if not highly troubling connections with russian intelligence. of course, that fits into a largerfact intelligence. of course, that fits into a larger fact pattern, that sta rts into a larger fact pattern, that starts with our knowledge that the russians intervened in our elections to influence it on donald trump's behalf, to help them win the election, or try behalf, to help them win the election, or know -’;* behalf, to help them win the election, or know that ’;* behalf, to help them win the election, or know that ’;g e‘" ethird trump 2 third trump team member to is the third trump team member to have to resign due to russian related issues. there are a whole series of facts becoming available that just paint a series of facts becoming available thatjust paint a worse and worse picture. we have got a president with a love of explaining to do. the security agencies have a lot of

explaining to do as well. isn't president trump absolutely correct in saying it is outrageous as well as illegal, that a taped conversation involving the russian envoy and mr flynn has been leaked? it is illegal, it is outrageous and that has to be looked into? well, certainly lea ks that has to be looked into? well, certainly leaks are an issue. they are illegal. but i would say a couple of things. it would be ridiculous for us to be more focused on the leagues around the core issue, which is that the president of the united states has some kind of the united states has some kind of dangerous relationship with vladimir putin, the very adversarial who attacked our democracy, who is attacking and undermining our democracy. to somehow say we should focus more on the leaks right now is just related —— ridiculous. yes, those leaks are illegal and it's important to look into them. but i also know as a former intelligence

officer, one of the first things you we re officer, one of the first things you were required to do when you start your services to take an oath. and that old says that you committed to upholding and defending the country and the constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. that is your first duty. intelligence officers that are seen —— seeing an administration compromised to our greatest adversary, they are in a relieved difficult position. on the one hand they are trying to defend the country against a very serious threat to our national security. at the same time meet their other commitments. it is a difficult position to be in. but the real issueis position to be in. but the real issue is donald trump's relationship with vladimir putin and the russians, and whether he understood and even collaborated in their reference to undermine our democracy. it is highly troubling. it's hard to overstate how unusual and serious this is. it's something

that all americans need to oppose actively. evan mcmullin, thank you. time for a look at the weather. hello. very mild if you had sunshine today. very wet in the midlands. that will push across eastern england in the next few hours. heavy showers in the west. wet weather running to western parts of scotland. gale force winds overnight. elsewhere, mainly dry. under clear skies in england and wales, rural areas close to freezing. fast and fog patches in southern england. tomorrow will be largely dry with variable sunny spells. rain in western scotland. few brighter breaks in the afternoon. it will be a mild day

again, and it will be over the weekend. not a huge amount of sunshine, mind you. a furious response from donald trump as he lashes out at american intelligence services over russia. more claims surface about contacts between his team and russia following the resignation of his national security advisor michael flynn yesterday. i think it's very very unfair what's happened to general flynn, the way he was treated and the documents and papers that were illegally — i stress that — illegally leaked.

earlier the president took to twitter to vents his anger as leading republicansjoined calls for an investigation into russian contacts. the american people need to understand and we'd need to understand and we'd need to understand and we'd need to understand and it needs to be dealt with quickly. we'll have the latest from washington —