Trump: Netanyahu is a bigger problem than Abbas

US President Donald Trump, at a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in September, identified Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the more difficult party in efforts to renew peace talks with the Palestinians, claim Western and Israeli sources who were present or informed about the meeting, Israeli media report, Patria agency conveys.

- Trump said that both leaders are problematic, but the general context is that Netanyahu is the bigger problem of the two - a Western source told the pro-liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

A senior White House official, however, disputed such a statement, saying it was a brief but productive meeting that primarily focused on UN reforms and the excellent work being done by Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the world organization, BETA agency reports.

- After discussing Israel's defense by the US at the UN, participants quickly mentioned the ongoing peace talks. The President said he feels both sides want peace and remains optimistic about the possibility of achieving a sustainable peace agreement. We are focusing on our productive discussions, not on the noise of those who want to spoil them - he emphasized.

Trump and Guterres met for 15 minutes on September 19 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.

Six Western diplomats and one former senior Israeli official, who requested anonymity, said that at least half of the meeting was dedicated to the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

Trump had met with Netanyahu in New York the previous day, so he could convey his impressions and views on the peace process to Guterres. Western diplomats said Trump reiterated to the UN Secretary-General that he is determined to try to contribute to achieving a historic peace agreement.

- He also said that over the years he has made many difficult deals, but he has always heard that the Israeli-Palestinian one is the most difficult of all, and he wants to meet that challenge - said a Western diplomat present at the briefing.

Western diplomats also said that Trump confided in Guterres that Mahmoud Abbas (82), despite being very old and having political problems at home, needs a legacy.

Netanyahu, unlike him, understands that he will never have a president who better understands Israel's security needs, and therefore there is a chance he will agree to steps he has not agreed to before.

Trump added that when he became president, he thought the chances for an agreement were very slim, but after assessing Abbas and Netanyahu, he thinks there is a good chance.

Guterres encouraged Trump to continue his efforts and emphasized that he also thinks there is a possibility for a historic agreement.