Kushner, Greenblatt to visit region for peace plan talks
Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt will ask Israeli, Egyptian and Saudi Arabian leadership for input on when might be best to release the detailed peace plan.
By MICHAEL WILNERUpdated: JUNE 13, 2018 12:39Ambassador Danny Danon with US envoys Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt and US Ambassador Nikki Haley(photo credit: ISRAEL MISSION TO THE UN)
NEW YORK – Senior Trump administration officials will visit the Middle East next week to consult regional governments on their plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace.Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, the two White House officials leading the effort, will ask Israeli, Egyptian and Saudi Arabian leadership for input on when might be best to release the detailed peace plan, which is largely finished. The team says it wants to publish the proposals “when the circumstances are right,” but a breakdown in relations with the Palestinians has frustrated their plans.Kushner and Greenblatt will travel to Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia "to discuss the situation in Gaza and to discuss the next stages of the peace effort, as well as get some ideas from players in the region about some remaining questions the White House peace team has," a National Security Council spokesperson said. "The trip may include other stops as well."US President Donald Trump recognizes Jerusalem as Israel"s capital and announces embassy to relocateThe team has not met with Palestinian Authority officials since President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and moved the US Embassy in Israel there, late last year. A US official says they are not scheduled to meet with PA officials next week, but would be ready to do so if Palestinian leadership invites them to sit down.Meanwhile, US Ambassador David Friedman will travel to Washington this week for discussions with White House officials ahead of Kushner and Greenblatt’s trip.The discussions will also cover US efforts to stem a growing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, officials said.
