Kushner, White House envoys head to Middle East to rally support for peace plan

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White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and a delegation of administration officials will travel to the Middle East this week amid preparations for the release of a long-anticipated peace plan for the region.

A White House official said Kushner, Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt and special envoy to Iran Brian Hook will visit Morocco, Jordan and Israel this week. They will meet with officials in Rabat, Amman and Jerusalem as the administration continues to seek support for its plan.

Kushner will then travel to Montreux, Switzerland, beginning June 1. He is expected to speak there at the Bilderberg Meeting, an annual gathering of international officials to discuss major foreign policy issues.{mosads}

The senior adviser will finish his trip in London, where he will meet up with his father-in-law, President Trump, during Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom. All of Trump’s adult children and their spouses are expected to join the president on the visit.

The Trump administration has promised since its early days to deliver a groundbreaking proposal to ensure peace between Israelis, Palestinians and other stakeholders in the Middle East. 

The details and timing of the plan’s release have largely been kept under wraps. But Kushner signaled earlier this year that it could be rolled out in June after the conclusion of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and after recently reelected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forms a governing coalition, though recent dissent among right-wing groups in Israel and corruption allegations against Netanyahu may force a second election in the country.

The White House announced earlier this month part of the plan would involve encouraging investment in the West Bank, in Gaza and throughout the region. The U.S. will host a “Peace to Prosperity” workshop in coordination with Bahrain at the end of June to discuss how to move forward with the investment opportunities in a way that will benefit the Palestinian people. The announcement focused on economic issues and steered clear of the region’s political concerns.

While Kushner and Greenblatt have made regular trips to meet with leaders in the region to discuss the plan, there has been no public buy-in from Palestinian officials. The two sides have not been in contact since the Palestinians cut off negotiations last year over frustrations with the Trump administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Tags Benjamin Netanyahu Donald Trump Jared Kushner Middle East peace plan

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