U.N. chief says important Mideast peace efforts realize two state vision

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday it was important "to pursue peace efforts to realize the vision of two States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security."

Guterres was speaking at a pledging conference in New York for the U.N. agency that helps Palestinian refugees as President Donald Trump's administration prepared to launch in Bahrain a $50 billion economic formula for Israeli-Palestinian peace.

It is not clear whether the Trump administration plans to abandon the "two-state solution," which involves the creation of an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel. The Trump administration has consistently refused to commit to it, keeping the political stage of its peace plan a secret. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)