his nomination yesterday after senate republicans balked at supporting him, in part over taxes he belatedly played over a former housekeeper not authorized to work in the united states." the article goes on, "the withdrawal by puzder came on the eve of his long-delayed confirmation hearing." many republicans were troubled by his it knowledge meant the he had not paid taxes on the house until after donald trump nominated him to the cabinet post on december 9, five years after he had fired the worker. president trump urged israeli prime minister netanyahu to hold off new new settlement construction. those leaders talked about the iran nuclear deal and a path to a two state solution in the middle east. president trump spoke about

the resignation of michael flynn at this joint news conference. >> today i have the honor of

welcoming my friend prime minister netanyahu to the white house. with his visit, the united states again reaffirms our unbreakable bond with our cherished ally israel. the partnership between our two 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 have gone through what they have gone through. and of survival in the face of genocide. we will never forget what the jewish people have endured. your perseverance in the face of hostility, europe and democracy in the face of violence, 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 have ever seen is 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. our security assistance to all-time at an high, ensuring israel has the ability to defend itself 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 i reject one fair an -- unfair and one-sided actions against israel at the united nations. mistreated israel, in my opinion,, very unfairly. other international forms, or boycotts, that targeted israel. our administration is committed to working with israel and our common allies in the region towrads 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 a very,

very diligently. very important to me, also. something we want to do. but it is the parties themselves who must directly negotiate such an agreement. we will be working with them. as with any successful midocean, both sides -- as with any successful magoo she, both sides -- as with any successful negotiation, both sides will have to make compromises. i want israeli to know that yo that the united states stands with them against terrorism. our two nations will always condemn terrorist acts. upholdequires nations to 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

will always aspire and commit. manywill be the first of productive meetings, and i again , mr. prime minister, thank you very much for being with us today. mr. prime minister, thank you. prime minister netanyahu: president trump, thank you for the truly warm hospitality you and melania have shown me and our entire delegation. i deeply value your friendship. israel, ite state of was so clearly evident in the words you just spoke, israel has no better ally than the united states and i want to assure you, the united states

has no better ally than israel. our alliance has been remarkably strong. but under your leadership, i'm confident it will get even stronger. i look forward to working with you to dramatically upgrade our alliance in every field, in security, technology, cyber, trade, so many others. and a certainly welcome your forthright call to ensure israel is treated fairly in international forums, and that the slender and boycotts of israel are resisted mightily by the power and moral position of the united states of america. allianceve said, our is based on a deep bond of common values and interests. an 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 call for confronting iran's terrorist regime, preventing iran from realizing this terrible deal into a nuclear arsenal. you have said that the united states is committed to preventing iran from getting nuclear weapons. you call 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 alitant islam, we can see historic opportunity. because for the first time in my

lifetime, and 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 under your 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 securities. let us seek new avenues of peace. and let us bring the remarkable alliance between israel and the united states to even greater heights. thank you. thank you, mr. president. pres. trump: thank you, again. we will take a couple of questions. , christian

broadcasting. >> thank you, mr. president. the would you criticize iran nuclear deal. i wonder if you are concerned at all as it relates to not just the national security advisor, michael flynn, who has recently resigned, but those events that have been going on with russia, will this hamper this deal at all or prevent iran from becoming a nuclear state? and on the settlement issue, are you both on the same page? thank you. pres. trump: michael flynn, general fund, is a wonderful man . he has been treated very unfairly by the media. as i call it, the fake media. i think it is really a sad thing that he was treated so badly. in addition to that, from

, papers are being leaked, things are being leaked. it is a criminal act. it has 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 unfair what has happened to general flynn, the way he was treated and the documents and papers that were illegally, i stress that, illegally leaked. very unfair. 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 be made. i think a deal will be made. i know that every president, i note nosed up -- i know most of them have not started until late because it was not possible. it was not possible because they did not do it.

but we have known each other for a long time. smart man, great negotiator. in a think we are going to make a deal. it might be a bigger and better deal than people in this room understand. that is a possibility. let's see what we do. doesn't sound too optimistic, but what a negotiator. i also want to thank -- sarah, could you please stand up? you are so lovely and you have been so nice to melania. [applause] pres. trump: thank you. prime minister netanyahu: please, go ahead. >> mr. president, in your vision for the new middle east peace, are you ready to give up on the notion of the two state solution as adopted by the previous

administration, and are you willing to hear different ideas from the prime minister for example, annexation of the west bank? are you going to fulfill the promise to move the embassy to jerusalem, and if so, when? did you comeister, here tonight to tell the president that your backing off of the two state solution? pres. trump: i'm looking at two state and one state. i like the one that both parties like. i am very happy with the one both parties like. i can live with either one. i thought for a while the two state looks like it might be the easier. but honestly, if the palestinians, if israel and the palestinians are happy, i'm happy with the one they like the best. as far as the embassy moving to jerusalem, i would love to see that happen.

we are looking at a very, very strongly. we are looking at it with great care, great care. believe me. we will see what happens. ok? pres. trump: thank you. -- and went prime minister netanyahu: -- prime minister netanyahu: thank you. i read yesterday that if you asked five people what two states would look like, you would get eight different answers. mr. president, if you asked five israelis, you would get 12 different answers. rather than deal with labels, i want to deal with substance. it is something i hope to do for years, in a world that is fixated on labels and not on substance. here is the substance. there are two prerequisites for several yearsut ago and they have not changed. first, the palestinians must recognize the jewish state. they have to stop calling for israel's destruction.

they have to stop educating their people for israel's destruction. peace agreement, israel must retain the overriding security control over the entire area west of the jordan river because if we do not, we know what will happen. otherwise, we will get another radical islamic terrorist state and the palestinian areas, excluding the [eacpeace. unfortunately, the palestinians reject both. first, they continue to call for israel's destruction, inside their schools, mosques, tex tbooks. they even deny our historical connection to our homeland, mr. president. a suppose you have to -- i suppose you have to ask yourself, why are jews called je ws? the chinese are called chinese because they come from china.

the japanese are called japanese because they come from japan. jews are called jews because jewdia.e the palestinians are not only denying the past, they also are poisoning the present. they name public squares after mass murderers who murdered israelis, as well as americans. they pay monthly salaries to the families of murderers, like the point of the west graduate who is down to death while visiting israel. this is the source of the conflict, the persistent palestinian refusal to recognize a jewish state, this persistent rejectionism. that is why we don't have peace. that has to change. i want it to change. not only have i not abandoned these two prerequisites of

peace, they have become even more important because of the rising tide of fanaticism. it has also infected palestinian society. i want this to change and i want these two prerequisites of peace, substance, not labeled, i want them reinstated. but if anybody believes that i am responsible for the security of my country would blindly walk into a palestinian terrorist state that seeks the destruction of my country, they are gravely mistaken. the two prerequisites, the tradition of the jewish state, and israel's security needs west of the jordan, they remain pertinent. we have to look for new ways, new ideas on how to reinstate them. and how to move peace forward. i think the great opportunity for bee peace comes from a reasonable approach from partners our newfound

in the pursuit of a broader spea peace and with the palestinians. i greatly look forward to discussing this with you, mr. president, because i think that if we work together, we have a shot. pres. trump: and we have been discussing that. and it is something that is very different, has not been discussed before. and it is actually a much bigger deal, a much more important deal, in a sense. it would take in many countries and cover a large territory. so, i did not know you were going to be mentioning that, but now that you did, i think it is a terrific thing and i think we have some pretty good cooperation from people who in the past would never, ever have even thought about doing this. so, we will see how that works out. katie from townhall. where is katie? >> thank you, mr. president.

you said earlier that both sides will have to make compromises when it comes to a peace deal. you mentioned a halt on settlements. can you lay out a few more specific compromises, both for the israelis and palestinians? mr. prime minister, what expectations do you have from the new administration about how to amend the iran nuclear agreement, or how to dismantle it altogether? and to overall work with the new administration to combat iran's increased aggression, not only in the last couple of months, but the last couple of years as well? pres. trump: that is an interesting question. i think the israelis will have to show some flexibility, which is hard. they are going to have to show, the fact that they really want to make a deal. i think our new concept we have discussing actually for a while is something that allows them to show more flexibility than they have in the past because we have a lot bigger canvas to play

with. and i think they will do that. i think they very much would like to make a deal. i would not be happy and it would not be here and it would not be as optimistic as i am. i really think -- i can tell you iom the standpoint of israel, really believe they want to make a deal. palestinians have to get rid of some of the hate they are taught from a young age. they are taught tremendous hate. i have seen what they are taught. talk about flexibility there as well. it starts at a very young age. it starts in the school room. have two technology 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 katie, other players at a very high level. and i think it might make it easier on both the palestinians and israel to get something done. thank you. there interesting question. -- very interesting question. prime minister netanyahu: you asked about iran. one thing that is preventing iran from getting nuclear weapons, something that president trump and i i think are deeply committed to doing, and we are going to discuss that. i think beyond that, president trump has led a very important effort in the past few weeks. just coming into the presidency, he pointed out the violations, the iranian violations on ballistic missile tests, which are inscribed in hebrew. "israel must be destroyed." the iranian foreign minister said, our and ballistic missiles

are not intended against any country, no. they write on the missile in hebrew, "israel must be destroyed." so, challenging iran on its violations of ballistic missiles, imposing sanctions on hezbollah, preventing them, making them pay for the terrorism that they have permitted through the middle east and beyond, will be on. i think that is a change that is clearly evident since president trump took office. i welcoeme that. let me say this. let me say this openly. i think it is long overdue. i think if we work together, and not just the united states and israel, but so many others in the region will see eye to eye on the great magnitude and danger of the iranian threat. iran's we can rollback aggression and danger.

that's something that is important for israel, the arab states, but also for america. these guys are developing icbm's. they want to get to a nuclear arsenal, not a bomb, 100 bombs. they want to have the ability to launch them everywhere on earth, and including, and especially, eventually, the united states. this is something that is important for all of us. i welcome the change and i intend to work with president trump very closely, so we can thwart this danger. since yourident, election campaign and even after your victory, we have seen a sharp rise in anti-s emetisim across the united states. what do you say to the jewish communities across the states, and around the world, who believe that your frustration is playing with

xenophobia and racism? mr. prime minister, do you agree with what the president just said for the need for israel to restrain? and a quick follow up on my first question, do you back off ateyour vision to the two st solution, or do you still support it? pres. trump: well, i just want to say that we are very honored by the victory that we had, 306 electoral college votes. we were not supposed to crack 220. you know that right? there was no way to 221. and then they said there was no way to 270. there was tremendous enthusiasm out there. i will 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 things have been taking place over a long period of time. i think one of the reasons i won the election is we have a very divided nation, very divided. hopefully, i will be able to do something about that. something that was very important to me, as far as people, jewish people, so many friends, a daughter who happens to be here right now, a son-in-law, and three beautiful grandchildren. i think you're going to see a lot different united states of america over the next three, four, or eight years. i think a lot of good things are happening. you are going to see a lot of love, a lot of love. thank you. prime minister netanyahu: i believe that the issue of the

settlements is not the core of the conflict, nor does it drive the conflict. i think it is an issue that has to be resolved within the context of peace negotiations. i think we also are going to speak about it, president trump and i, so we can arrive at an understanding, so we don't keep on bumping into each other all the time on this issue. we are going to discuss this. on the question you said, you just came back with your question to the problem that i said. it is the label. states?s he mean by two a state that does not recognize the jewish state? a state that is basically open for attack against israel? are we talking about costa rica, or another iran? obviously it means other things. i told you what the conditions are that i believe are necessary for an agreement. the recognition of a jewish state and israel's security control of the entire area

we will get another failed state, another dictatorship that will not work for peace, but worked to destroy us, and any hope for a peaceful future for our people. i have been very clear about those conditions and they have not changed. i have not 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, i will deal with substance. finally, if i could respond to something that i know from personal experience, i have known president trump for many years. and to allude to him, or to his whom i his team, some of have known for many years, too, can i review, jared how long i have known you? well, he was never small. he was always big, tall.

but i've the president and i've known his family and team for a long time. there is no greater supporter of the jewish people and the jewish state than president donald trump. i think we should put that to rest. pres. trump: thank you very much. i appreciate that very mcuuch. [indiscernible] [applause] bepresident trump's pick to davidmbassador to israel, friedman, will testify at his confirmation hearing this

morning. mr. friedman will take questions from members of the senate foreign relations committee. we will have live coverage at 10:30 a.m. eastern on c-span 3. you can also follow coverage on c-span radio band www.c-span.org . house minority leader nancy pelosi and other house democrats were critical of the trump administration on national security. leader pelosi said that republicans are not moving quickly enough to investigate the ties between the white house and russia. she called for an independent commission.