President Trump’s Middle-East Peace Push Has Begun
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Wednesday in Jerusalem.
“This is an opportunity to pursue our common goals of security, prosperity and peace, and Jared, I welcome you here in that spirit. I know of your efforts and the president’s efforts, and I look forward to working with you to reach these common goals,” Netanyahu said.
Kushner is visiting Israel along with U.S. Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, who met with Netanyahu Tuesday. Greenblatt also met with Isaac Molho, Netanyahu’s envoy for negotiations with the Palestinians, and traveled to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman downplayed the U.S. officials’ visits.
“There’s nothing [going on] behind the scenes,” he told Israel Radio. “Things are simple and transparent. Trump’s representatives are still in the learning stages …They want to understand what the parties are proposing, what the basic interests are, what the basic position is for both Israel and the Palestinians. We are open to dialogue with the Americans. The Palestinian issue is not a new issue on the Israeli government’s agenda.”
This article was originally published at JNS.org. Used with permission.
