When he took office in 2017, Donald Trump vowed to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians, with what he called the "Deal of the Century."
He appointed his senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner to head his negotiating team, making it clear that "if Jared cannot succeed, no one can succeed."
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L-R: Jason Greenblatt, David Friedman, Jared Kushner and Benjamin Netanyahu meeting in Jerusalem
(Photo: U.S. Embassy in Israel)
Three years have passed since then and Trump is in the midst of his re-election campaign, with the black cloud of his impeachment trial hanging over his head.
Although Republicans are the majority in the Senate, and the chances of ousting the president from office are slim, the stain of impeachment has blotted his presidency.
As such, he has diverted most of his attention to diplomatic arena, trying to take the spotlight off his legal woes with vigorous international activity while also seizing the opportunity to help his friend Benjamin Netanyahu, who is himself under criminal indictment.
This explains the urgency for the president – and Netanyahu - to get the plan on the table on Tuesday.
U.S. governments have tried for decades to promote Mideast peace plans. Dennis Ross worked nearly 15 years and in the service of two presidents to achieve such an agreement.
Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama tried and failed in this endeavor and Trump is desperate to show that where they faltered, he brought magic.
Even so, it doesn't look like that at the moment. Trump himself said Monday during his meeting with Netanyahu in the White House that if that the peace efforts fail to bring results, "life goes on."
And if it really does fail, the work of the team responsible for preparing the plan, led by Kushner, will go down the drain.
As he embarked on his mission, the president's son-in-law said he "had to think outside the box." So he threw the money down on the table and called on interested parties to follow – namely, with anticipated rehabilitative investments in the region.
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White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner attends a 2019 conference on Peace and Security in the Middle East in Warsaw, Poland
(Photo: AP)
In June 2019, Kushner convened the Bahrain Workshop, presenting ambitious plans for investment that would better the lives of the Palestinians. His aimed to get the money from the rich Arab countries.
Kushner used his good relations with the Saudi royal palace to secure promises of massive money injections to "lubricate" the peace plan. But Trump's plan will not kickstart peace talks: the Palestinians have already rejected it, and the Arab states will too.
Kushner had a team of lawyers - all of them Jewish – to help him in his mission.
At the heart of the team is David Friedman, the U.S. ambassador to Israel and Donald Trump's erstwhile bankruptcy lawyer.
Friedman, a staunch supporter of the settlements and closely aligned to the views of the settlers, sees himself as part and parcel of the State of Israel. He wants the peace plan to succeed, but is the settlers' voice on the team and ensured their interests were safeguarded.
Another senior member of the team was the U.S. special envoy to the region, Jason Greenblatt.
Greenblatt, an observant Jew, served as senior director of the Trump Corporation and was Trump's legal adviser before he became president.
He hopped between the capitals of the Arab states and Jerusalem in order to produce a reverse process: first, recognition of Israel by the Arab states and the establishment of ties between them, and only then beginning work on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Greenblatt resigned from his position a few months ago and was replaced by 30-year-old lawyer Avi Berkowitz, who knew Kushner from playing basketball. They found a common language and Kushner recruited him for the mission. Today, he also serves as Kushner's deputy.
Before his appointment as senior advisor to the president, Kushner was a major player in the New York real estate market and made his big money working with his father in his construction company.
He is considered the closest to Trump among the staff working on the peace plan, not just because of his marriage to Ivanka, but also because the president appreciates his professional skills and believes him to be one of the best negotiators.
If the peace plan does succeed, Kushner will win praise as its architect and Trump try every maneuver to snag himself a Nobel Peace Prize (like his predecessor Barack Obama).
Those close to the Trump family say Kushner has often told Trump: "Don't worry, I'll get you that Nobel."
Of course, the chances of the plan succeeding are slim - but it is now public, official and carries the Trump brand.