Don King appears alongside Trump, talks Israel

Boxing promoter Don King said Donald Trump can help solve the longtime conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians in an appearance alongside the president-elect Wednesday.

“The Israeli flag is about peace, you know, peace in the Middle East,” he told reporters Wednesday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. “We want everyone to come together and as one unit and make things happen.”

“He’s the leader that can make it happen,” King added, waving a bundle of flags including the American and Israeli flags. “It’s just great to be an American. And now with our leader, we’re going to make new days — make America great again.”

{mosads}Trump then panned Secretary of State John Kerry for criticizing Israel’s settlement building in occupied territories in a speech earlier Wednesday.

“It speaks for itself,” he said of Kerry’s remarks at the State Department. “It’s pretty obvious. We have different views. I think it set us back.”

“We have to have peace,” Trump added of the conflict. “We’ll see what happens after Jan. 20, right? You’re going to be very impressed.”

Kerry rebuked the Israeli government’s settlement policy earlier Wednesday, characterizing it as an obstacle to lasting peace in the Middle East.

“Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect,” he said. “If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic. It cannot be both, and it won’t ever really be at peace.”

The U.S. notably abstained from voting last Friday on a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements in disputed territories. America could have vetoed the controversial measure but did not, ending a longstanding tradition of protecting Israel from U.N. reproaches.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unsuccessfully pressured President Obama to block the resolution before the Dec. 23 vote.

Obama has long had a frosty relationship with Netanyahu, which Trump has vowed he will improve as president.