White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner will reportedly lead a delegation to the Middle East to pursue an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
According to Bloomberg, President Trump is sending the team as a way to capitalize on what it describes as a period of “relative calm” in the wake of recent rioting against increased security measures on the Temple Mount. Amid Palestinian incitement over the Temple Mount, Israel was also rocked by a terrorist attack in July when a Palestinian terrorist stabbed three Israelis to death at a family home in the West Bank.
According to Bloomberg, among the officials joining Kushner will be Jason Greenblatt, special representative for international negotiations, and Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell. The team will meet with representatives from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Kushner will be joined by Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt and Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategy Dina Powell on the trip. The team is set to discuss not only the Israeli-Palestinian crisis but also terrorism and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Greenblatt has been one of the quieter but central figures in Trump White House efforts to bring peace to the region. The lawyer has traveled to the region twice since the inauguration and is reportedly in regular contact with the key players.
Trump has made peace in the Middle East one of his top foreign policy priorities. Trump has already hosted both Netanyahu and Abbas at the White House, and has expressed confidence that a deal is within reach.
The Washington Post reported that the trip will last several days and will take place later this month.
Adam Shaw is a Breitbart News politics reporter based in New York. Follow Adam on Twitter: @AdamShawNY