Jerusalem, Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a senior White White adviser, met Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu here as part of his trip to the region where he is scheduled to discuss his plan for brokering peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Besides discussing the peace plan, Kushner, who arrived here on Monday, will also gage the rocky Israeli political environment, which will have direct impact on his ability to roll out his strategy, reports Xinhua news agency.
The plan has been in the works since 2017, but has not yet been published, leaving much room for speculation on its contents.
Publication of the full plan has been repeatedly delayed, also due to political developments in Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu has been heading an interim government since the beginning of 2019.
The two recently held elections were yet to resolve the political deadlock in the country.
As coalition talks in Israel were underway, Kushner also met the leader of the Blue and White party and Netanyahu’s prime rival, Benny Gantz. Gantz is currently tasked with trying to form a government and should he succeed, he will replace Netanyahu.
In a recent interview given to an Israeli media outlet, US Ambassador to the country David Friedman said the peace plan would be released shortly after a government was formed.
But the White House did not confirm it.
Netanyahu and Trump are close allies. Netanyahu made a campaign promise to his electorate that he would annex large parts of the West Bank and said he would do so in coordination with the Trump administration.
As Palestinians see the West Bank as the bulk of the territory that will make up their future state, the promise is highly controversial and it is unclear whether the American leadership will actually support it.
However, it is believed that the Kushner’s plan will not force Israel to make far-reaching concessions in the West Bank.
Regardless of the identity of Israel’s next leader, the Palestinians were absent from the process. They have also completely refused to cooperate with the Trump administration.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has boycotted the White House since Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The plan, which remains a mystery, is believed to deal with political and economic aspects of the conflict.
In June this year, Kushner revealed his economic vision titled “Peace to Prosperity”, it calls for multi-billion-dollar investment in infrastructure and business projects in the Palestinian territories.
