fbpx

News

Kushner and US team in bid to launch Israeli-Palestinian talks

[ssba]

Senior US officials arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday on their tour of the region aimed at restarting Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt and deputy national security adviser Dina Powell are meeting leaders from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in order to find a “path to substantive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks,” according to one White House official. Although the White House announced the visit last week, none of their meetings have been publicised and no statements have been issued so far.

According to Palestinian sources, the PA asked Kushner during his last visit for clarification of the US position concerning Israeli construction in the West Bank and support for Palestinian independence. Yesterday Ahmad Majdalani, a senior advisor to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, said: “Since then we didn’t hear from them, we hope they bring clear answers this time. If not, then the peace process cannot be resumed because we cannot negotiate from scratch.”

Abbas also expressed his frustration in a meeting with Israel’s Meretz party on Sunday that US officials have “repeatedly stressed to me how much they believe and are committed to a two-state solution and a halt to construction in the settlements,” but have not been forthcoming when he has “pleaded with them to say the same thing to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu”.

Kushner, Greenblatt and Powell are due to land in Israel today ahead of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials tomorrow.