Trump's Senior Advisor to Visit the Middle East to Resume Peace Talks Between Israel and Palestinians

Jared Kushner, senior advisor and son-in-law of the U.S. President, will travel to the Middle East with a delegation from the United States as part of "efforts to resume negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians." According to Israeli media, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, announced this news at his cabinet meeting on Sunday, August 13, stating: "As always, we support the U.S. efforts in this regard." The exact start date of this delegation's mission has not been announced, but it is said that "in the coming days," Mr. Kushner will travel to the Middle East along with Jason Greenblatt, the U.S. Special Representative for International Negotiations. Reuters reported on Friday, August 11, citing a senior White House official, that the American delegation is being sent to discuss with the Israeli Prime Minister and the President of the Palestinian Authority, and that Dina Powell, Deputy National Security Advisor to Donald Trump, will also visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt during this trip. This unnamed White House official stated that Donald Trump views the calm established between Israel and the Palestinians after last month's crisis over the Al-Aqsa Mosque as an opportunity to restart the peace process and is "optimistic" about it. He also noted that the U.S. President believes that, alongside the importance of regional negotiations, peace can only be achieved through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. This official told Reuters that the U.S. is committed to working with all parties to achieve peace. Since entering the White House, Donald Trump has stated, including during his three-month-ago visit to Israel and the West Bank, that any solution supported by both parties would also please the U.S. This is Jared Kushner's third trip to the Middle East aimed at resuming the stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Mr. Kushner stated at the end of his two-month-ago trip to the region that advancing peace between Israel and the Palestinians is difficult but achievable. The Israeli website "Ynet" reported that Jared Kushner's last meeting with Mahmoud Abbas ended "with shouting" because Mr. Kushner firmly demanded that the Palestinian Authority stop "paying allowances to the families of Palestinian attackers and terrorists imprisoned in Israeli jails." Reuters also quoted a senior Palestinian official stating that Jared Kushner's meeting with Mahmoud Abbas ended in the "worst" way. The American delegation is being sent back to the region while Palestinians have expressed hesitation about returning to the negotiating table due to the potential indictment of Benjamin Netanyahu by Israeli police for receiving "bribes." Saeb Erekat, the head of international negotiations for the Palestinian Authority, stated that Netanyahu's government lacks sufficient stability. In the severe tensions between Israel and the Palestinians over security measures for Al-Aqsa last month, several Palestinians and Israelis were killed. The security measures were initiated following the killing of two Arab Israeli police officers in an armed attack by three other Arab Israeli attackers, but Israel canceled these measures following severe Palestinian protests and dissatisfaction from Islamic Waqf and the Jordanian government. At the height of the Al-Aqsa crisis, Jason Greenblatt had traveled to Israel and the Palestinian territories as well as to Jordan and Russia. Meanwhile, Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, stated on Friday, August 11, in Moscow that Moscow will maintain its commitments to Israel in any new peace plan. According to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Mr. Lavrov mentioned that Russia also considers Israel's interests regarding Jerusalem.