but ecugit mu” but there is ecugit mu” : git“ right direction. but there is still a very long way to go. and you know that the picture is mixed. some allies are starting to increase, some allies are still struggling with any increase of their defence budgets. only five allies meet our guideline of spending 2% of gdp on defence. so we discussed how we can sustain the positive momentum and speed up national efforts to meet oui’ speed up national efforts to meet our commitments. jonathan marcus is at nato headquarters in brussels. you have been following nato for quite a while. why are there so many members who don't pay their way? it's a very good question, i suppose. probably because they believe the americans will provide the wherewithal that the alliance needs. this is a debate about global sharing that has been going on for

more than a decade. countless american secretaries of defence have come to this building behind me and tried to exhort their allies to do more, to spend more. this is a very different kind of administration in the us. what general mattis came here with today was tough love. he is saying, yes, the new administration, whatever it may have said on the campaign trail, goes back nato‘s strongly. but equally, if that commitment is going to be full and enduring, then the nato allies have two dig much more deeply into their own pockets. the likes of germany, fourth biggest economy in the world, not been paying its way. the germans have, for such a long time, felt that america will do their bidding anyway. they have never believed they could be an american administration that can actually call their bluff? well, to an actually call their bluff? well, to a n exte nt actually call their bluff? well, to an extent that true. but funnily enough, there has been a significant

increase in spending by the european countries over the past 12 months. that is largely accounted for by germany increasing its defence budget. i think the germans are in the process of, as it work, waiting up the process of, as it work, waiting up and smelling the coffee. the problem is there are many other countries who haven't yet. out of the 28 nato countries, including the united states, only five meet this 296 united states, only five meet this 2% of gdp target that has been set. and remember, that's not a target that somebody imposed on them from outside. that's a target that all the nato allies agreed to a few yea rs the nato allies agreed to a few years ago. very few of them have actually honoured it. thank you. joining me now isjulian lewis, chairman of the commons defence select committee. it seems bizarre that a country as rich as germany

has increased its military spending, its commitment to nato, getting closer to that 2% threshold of gdp. all nato allies agreed on this commitment, as jonathan said. all nato allies agreed on this commitment, asjonathan said. yet so few actually bothered to live up to it? i entirely agree with the thrust of your question. the nato 2% guideline, orthreshold, of your question. the nato 2% guideline, or threshold, as you rightly call it, is not a target. it isa minimum. rightly call it, is not a target. it is a minimum. its cause for concern that britain, which traditionally exceeded 2% by a very considerable amount, only borderline scraping over the threshold itself. and you've got countries in the front line like the baltic states, estonia, latvia, lithuania, only estonia, latvia, lithuania, only estonia is meeting the 2% minimum. you would think that countries that went to such lengths to try to be pa rt went to such lengths to try to be part of the nato alliance would meet the minimum requirement and they're not. it is quite disgraceful. looks as if the americans have had enough,

frankly. and now mr mattis suggests that the us will moderate its commitment to nato. what do you think that means, if other states don't pay their way? i think it means that mr mattis and mr trump are good negotiators. let's remind ourselves what nato means. we can't have a situation as we had in the run—up to the first world war and the second world war, when an aggressorfought the second world war, when an aggressor fought —— thought it could pick of one country after another in isolation, without the heavens falling in. what nato means is, you attack any of nato's 28 countries, and you are straightaway at war with the united states. so if you want that guarantee, you've got to pay your minimum contribution. it's an insurance policy. and people who don't pay the premiums can expect not to get the benefits. and that

would be a disastrous loss to us all. indeed. does that suggest to you that if lithuania decides it is not going to pay its way, or whomever, pleasant out —— president vladimir putin may feel that he can march in there because mr trump is not going to back them? well, that's the danger. obviously mr trump and his defence secretary are trying to do whatever is necessary to get the other nato countries to take their responsibility seriously. but one thing i must warn you about, the idea that some sort of separate defence identity, as is promoted why several of the countries that themselves fall well short of the 2% minimum, the idea that some sort of separate defence identity could enable us to do without the united states, is total nonsense. what we are dealing with here is the only way to deter aggression from a large

power to the east. and that is the assurance of american involvement from day one. we would be insane not to make a modest contribution in order to guarantee the continuation, which it appears president trump is willing to continue to make, the continuation of the american contribution, which is the best guarantee of peace in the 21st century, just as it preserved the peace in the second half of the 20th century, despite the intense ideological rivalries of the cold war. we will leave it there. julian lewis, chairman of the house of commons defence select committee. president trump says he will work very ha rd president trump says he will work very hard on a great peace deal between israel and the palestinians. speaking at a news conference alongside israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, he said both sides would have to make compromises, but suggested the two state solution may not be the only way forward. i'm looking at two states and one

state and i like the one both parties like. i'm very happy with the one both parties like. i can live with either one. i thought the two states looked like it may be be easier. but honestly, if the prime minister and the palestinians, if israel and the palestinians are happy, i'm israel and the palestinians are happy, i‘m happy israel and the palestinians are happy, i'm happy with the one they like the best. he also addressed the issue of settlement building on the west bank. under international law, the settlements are illegal. the israeli parliament has retrospectively activated 400 homes. as far as settlements, i would like to see you hold back on settlements for a little bit. we will work something out. but i would like to see a deal being 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 have not 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're going to make a deal. it may be a bigger and better deal than people in this room even understand. that is a possibility let's see what we do. it's hard. he doesn't sound too optimistic! let'sjoin gary let's join gary o'donoghue in washington. it was a very interesting news conference. we seem to have given the last rites to a two state solution as far as the united states are concerned. if both sides aren't interested. yeah, i think what you saw was donald trump very publicly trying to feel his way towards a middle east policy. i

mean, he actually said at one point, i don't mind either way on these two state thing. that has been a central pillar of american policy for a very long time. what he did say, which is what the israelis have been talking about more recently themselves, is this idea of a sort of regional solution, bringing in those other arab, particularly sunni arab countries, that see a common enemy, obviously in the islamic state group and also iran. israel thinks it might be able to do business with those and a palestinian deal may come out of that. the thing about the settlements, donald trump said yes, we need to hold off, it's not very easy for mr netanyahu to do that. he has got a lot of pressure from the right. not least inside his own cabinet on the settlement issue. and i think the difficulty, the

balancing that he has got to do, he has got to keep donald trump interested in middle east peace. the intractability is not something that donald trump is going to find attractive as a problem to tackle. and also, donald trump can change his mind quite quickly and readily. mr netanyahu his mind quite quickly and readily. mr neta nyahu may his mind quite quickly and readily. mr netanyahu may think they are best pals at the moment, but that is not necessarily going to last if israel says no to some of those compromises mrtrump wants to says no to some of those compromises mr trump wants to make. johnny dymond is in jerusalem. mr trump wants to make. johnny dymond is injerusalem. that was an interesting point that benjamin netanyahu made. that there could be the opportunity for a wider deal encompassing sunni states in the region who are worried about the threat from iran. can you flesh that out? there is a lot of talk about this. and it's clear there are

feelers being put out. it's very clear that there has been some strategic and intelligence cooperation between israel and, in particular, the gulf states. to leap from that to the idea that there could be a deal on the palestinians thatis could be a deal on the palestinians that is somehow brokered or agreed by the states that surround israel or that are close to israel, is a pretty big leap at the moment. the arab states have always said it is up arab states have always said it is up to the palestinian representatives to speak for palestinians. this was a key point that was agreed very early on in this conflict. and i don't think anyone is now going to say that, for example, saudi arabia, kuwait, the uae, should be speaking for the

palestinians. it will be to the palestinians. it will be to the palestinian authority to speak for the palestinians. that may be a stumbling block. the idea that you can come up stumbling block. the idea that you can come up with a grand deal between sympathetic sunni arab states for palestinians and israel. also bear in mind that israel's actions, the declaration that it will build another 5000 homes in palestinian territory, the occupied palestinian territory, the occupied palestinian territories, will inflame arab states. they are not sympathetic to israel on that front whatsoever. so that is another stumbling block, the idea that you will have a grand coalition creating some kind of deal for the palestinians on behalf of the palestinians, or cajoling the palestinians, or cajoling the palestinians in some way. i think at the moment it is a pretty unlikely leap from creating a coalition that stands up to iran, shares information about iran, and creating some kind of deal for the

palestinians, because the facts on the ground are very different. the alliance is on the ground are simply not there. thank you for that. 100 daysis not there. thank you for that. 100 days is coming up. a lot more chat about president trump, michael flynn, jerusalem etc. now it's time for about president trump, michael flynn, jerusalem etc. now it's time for the about president trump, michael flynn, jerusalem etc. now it's time for the weather. about president trump, michael flynn, jerusalem etc. now it's time for the weather. most about president trump, michael flynn, jerusalem etc. now it's time for the weather. most places about president trump, michael flynn, jerusalem etc. now it's time for the weather. most places become dry overnight, quite a transformation in the midlands, where it is chucking it down. that rain will move into the north sea in the next few hours. after midnight, some rain fading into western scotland. heaviest to the north of glasgow. accompanied by strong winds. few fog patches in england. most will start thursday frost free. fog will be slow to clear. england and wales mainly dry. the odd passing shower. northern ireland,

with rain coming in later in the afternoon. the rain in northern and western scotland easing with the wind. brighter breaks developing. cabbages back into double figures. that is where they will stay in the next few days into the weekend. —— temperature back into double figures. hello and welcome to 100 days. members of donald trump's campaign team are accused of frequent contacts with russian intelligence. president trump calls the claims conspiracy theories and nonsense. he attacks the intelligence agencies for leaking information, and journalists for their reporting. michael flynn, general flynn, is a wonderful man. i think he's been treated very, very unfairly by the media. as i call it, the fake media, in many cases. after the chaotic downfall of the national security adviser, critics in congress want to know who is in charge at the white house. also tonight: a new administration, a new relationship and yet another attempt to find peace

between the israelis and the palestinians.