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Photo: Amos Ben Gershom, GPO
Kushner and Netanyahu meet in Jerusalem
Photo: Amos Ben Gershom, GPO

Kushner meets with Netanyahu in effort to relaunch peace talks

US President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser is also scheduled to meet with Palestinian President Abbas later in the evening; 'This is an opportunity to pursue our common goals of security, prosperity and peace,' Netanyahu tells Kushner.

US  President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday, beginning a new US effort to revive long-fractured Middle East peace efforts.

 

 

Kushner, a 36-year-old real estate developer with little experience of international diplomacy or political negotiation, arrived in Israel on Wednesday morning and will spend barely 20 hours on the ground—he leaves shortly after midnight.

 

Kushner and Netanyahu meet in Jerusalem

Kushner and Netanyahu meet in Jerusalem

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Video showed him giving Netanyahu, a friend of Kushner's father, a handshake and a hug as they prepared to sit down with the Israeli ambassador to Washington, the US ambassador to Israel and other senior officials for preliminary discussions.

 

"This is an opportunity to pursue our common goals of security, prosperity and peace," said Netanyahu. "Jared, I welcome you here in that spirit. I know of your efforts, the president's efforts, and I look forward to working with you to achieve these common goals."

 

Kushner and Netanyahu meet in Jerusalem (Photo: Amos Ben Gershom, GPO)
Kushner and Netanyahu meet in Jerusalem (Photo: Amos Ben Gershom, GPO)

 

Kushner replied: "The president sends his best regards and it's an honor to be here with you."

 

Israeli and US officials provided no information on what was to discussed and there are no plans for Kushner to speak to the media or take any questions, maintaining the circumspect profile he has established since Trump took office.

 

Assistant to the President and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jsaon Greenblatt also arrived in Israel, on Monday, for preparatory talks in both Jerusalem and Ramallah, and will remain for follow-up discussions after Kushner has departed, officials said.

 

Greenblatt and United States Ambassador to Israel David Friedman joined Kushner and Netanyahu during their meeting on Wednesday. The meeting was described as productive, and the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to advancing President Trump's goal of a genuine and lasting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians that enhances stability in the region.

 

The three United States officials further discussed Israel's priorities and potential next steps with Prime Minister Netanyahu, acknowledging the critical role Israel plays in the security of the region. All parties underscored that forging peace will take time and the importance of doing everything possible to create an environment conducive to peacemaking.

 

Kushner and Greenblatt will next meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his senior advisors in Ramallah after Iftar, the evening meal that breaks the Ramadan fast. They will then return to Washington, to brief the President, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and to continue the conversation about next steps.

 

US officials are calling the trip part of an effort to keep the conversation going rather than the launching of a new phase in the peace process, saying that Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, the president's special representative for international negotiations, are likely to return often.

 

Kushner and Netanyahu meet in Jerusalem (Photo: Amos Ben Gershom, GPO)
Kushner and Netanyahu meet in Jerusalem (Photo: Amos Ben Gershom, GPO)

 

Trump has described peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians as "the ultimate deal" and made it a priority since taking office. As well as receiving both Netanyahu and Abbas in the White House, he visited the region last month.

 

But it remains unclear what approach Trump, via Kushner and Greenblatt, plans to take on resolving one of the world's most intractable conflicts.

 

For at least two decades, the goal of US-led diplomacy has been a "two-state solution," meaning an independent Palestinian state living side-by-side and at peace with Israel.

 

But when Trump met Netanyahu in Washington in February, he said he was not fixed on two states saying, "I'm looking at two-state and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like."

 

Netanyahu has in the past given conditional backing to two states. But ahead of his last election victory in 2015, he promised there would never be a Palestinian state on his watch, a remark seen as an attempt to shore right-wing support.

 

In discussions with Greenblatt before Kushner's visit, Palestinian sources said the phrase "two state solution" had not been used.

 

Bullet points 

Palestinian sources said that ahead of Kushner's meeting with Abbas, they had been asked to draw up a list of 12 'bullet point' demands they would want met in any negotiations.

 

They saw it as a helpful exercise in focusing on core elements rather than an oversimplification of a complex issue.

 

Trump administration officials have said that if they are going to make progress on peace, they do not want to get bogged down in process but to move rapidly on tackling what are known as "final status" issues, the complexities around Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, water resources, security and borders.

 

Those issues have long been thorny problems in the multiple rounds of peace negotiations launched by both Republican and Democratic presidents since the mid-1990s. It remains unclear what new approach Trump's administration may have to untangling disputes that blend politics, land, religion and ethnicity and have defied resolution for 70 years.

 


פרסום ראשון: 06.21.17, 17:54
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