A primary obstacle to a solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians was a lack of trust between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell told MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

"One serious crux of the problem is that both Netanyahu and Abbas don't trust each other, don't believe in the other's sincerity," the Maine Democrat said Friday. "They don't believe in the sincerity and seriousness of purpose of the other side."

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An Aug. 26 cease-fire agreement between Israel and the militant Islamic organization Hamas, which is the governing body of Gaza, ended seven weeks of fighting. 

Mitchell said a two-state plan was likely the only solution to end conflict between Israel and Hamas.

"I think there is, and will be, a growing recognition that there isn't any real alternative to a two-state solution," he said. "Both of them will be worse off without an agreement than they will be if they get one."

Mitchell called the current situation "unsustainable," and explained that the "pain of getting an agreement is less than the pain that will follow if they don't get an agreement."

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