Does Jared Kushner’s Secret Visit To Saudi Arabia Signal Mideast Breakthrough?
Image by Getty Images
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, traveled to Saudi Arabia last week without announcement in a bid to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace.
The visit took place last week. Jason Greenblatt traveled afterward to Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian areas and Jordan, the official said and will be returning to the area in coming weeks.
The official emphasized that while Trump is seeking broad support for Israeli-Palestinian peace, its terms are best left to the parties.
“While these regional talks will play an important role, the president reaffirms that peace between Israelis and Palestinians can only be negotiated directly between the two parties and that the United States will continue working closely with the parties to make progress toward that goal,” the official said. “No deal will be imposed on Israelis and Palestinians; We are committed to facilitating a deal that improves conditions for both parties.”
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have said they favor a comprehensive Israeli-Arab deal coincident with an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, accompanied Trump on his first overseas trip as president, in June, which included Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
