Kushner begins peacebroker role
MIDDLE EAST: United States presidential adviser Jared Kushner waded into the nittygritty of Middle East peace mediation for the first time yesterday, as the Trump administration seemed to lower expectations for a swift breakthrough by emphasising that ‘‘peace will take time’’.
The son-in-law of President Donald Trump, who has been tasked with overseeing the diplomacy to broker what the president has described as the ‘‘ultimate’’ deal, shuttled between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah in the span of a few hours.
After a meeting with Netanyahu that lasted more than two hours, the White House released a summary statement saying the Israeli and US participants ‘‘underscored that forging peace will take time and stressed the importance of doing everything possible to create an environment conducive to peace making’’.
Welcoming Kushner, Netanyahu said, ‘‘This is an opportunity for us to pursue our common goals of security, prosperity and peace ... I look forward to working with you to achieve these common goals.’’
Kushner, who has no previous experience in international diplomacy, responded by saying only: ’’The president sends his best regards, and it’s an honour to be here with you.’’
Kushner’s visit comes a month after he escorted Trump to Israel. Trump, who visited during the second leg of the first foreign trip of his presidency, met first with Netanyahu and then with Abbas in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Kushner’s direct participation in shuttle diplomacy is seen by observers as a sign that Trump is serious about pursuing an agreement that has eluded successive administrations before him.
‘‘I think it’s just about signalling that this an important issue to the president, and that even though they might not move that quickly, they want to see substantive movement on the issues on both sides,’’ said Michael Koplow, policy director at the Israel Policy Forum in Washington. ‘‘This is about setting the table more than anything else.’’
Later, Kushner met with Abbas in Ramallah. Abbas’s spokesman said the two men held a detailed discussion that focused on issues at the core of a final status agreement, such as the fate of Palestinian refugees and Palestinian prisoners.
After several months of preparatory talks with both sides, expectations are rising for the administration to lay out a vision or principles for advancing the talks.
The Trump administration has been pressing Israel and the Palestinian leaders to make goodwill gestures to build momentum for talks.
Washington has pressed Israel to take steps to boost the Palestinian economy and ease up on settlement expansion, and has called on Abbas to halt government payments to Palestinians involved in attacks against Israel.
Koplow said Kushner’s visit was also part of an administration charm offensive to embrace Israelis and their government – a contrast to the Obama administration’s more standoffish approach towards Israel during its early days.
Kushner’s arrival was clouded by a hint of disagreement with the Israeli government.
After Netanyahu announced that ground had been broken for the first new Jewish settlement in the West Bank in two decades, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Trump’s position was that ‘‘unrestrained settlement activity is not helpful to the peace process’’. – LA Times