US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser to travel to Israel and meet both PM Netanyahu and Blue and White chairman.
US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will travel to Israel during the last week of October, Israeli officials told Channel 13 News on Thursday.
According to the report, Kushner is expected to meet Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu as well as Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz.
Kushner knows Netanyahu well after their many meetings, but this will be his first meeting with Gantz since his entry into politics. This is another acknowledgement by the Trump administration, which had dealt solely with Netanyahu for two and a half years, that Gantz is a key political player in Israel, according to Channel 13’s Barak Ravid.
Kushner’s visit is expected to come amid efforts in Israel to form a new government following last month’s election.
He will arrive several days after the Netanyahu’s mandate for forming a government expires on October 23.
Assuming Netanyahu fails, Kushner’s visit will likely come after the mandate has passed to Gantz.
Kushner will arrive in Israel with deputy assistant to the president Avi Berkowitz and Iran envoy Brian Hook.
Israeli officials told Ravid they think the purpose of his visit is mainly to check the pulse on both Gantz and Netanyahu and get a first hand impression of the political dynamics in Israel.
It’s unclear how much the long-awaited White House peace plan will be discussed during Kushner’s visit. White House officials have said they’ll wait for the formation of a new government before deciding whether to publish the plan.
The US peace deal, which has come to be known as the “Deal of the Century”, was mentioned in Netanyahu’s outline for the establishment of a unity government which was presented on Thursday and which Gantz rejected.
One clause in the proposal stated that Netanyahu and Gantz “will present to the government a joint position on President Trump’s Deal of the Century when it is introduced, and on the application of Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea.”
@ Adam Dalgliesh:I agree Gantz is way too evasive and has no experience in politics to know what the hell he would be for.
A unity government would not allow him to withdraw from anywhere if that was what he wanted, which to do,which he has never said he would. The most anyone could expect a unity government to would apply Sovereignty to the Blocks and Jordan Valley (that is a big maybe).
I would like either Nir Barkat or Gideon Saar to become Prime Minister to me they have credibility.
@ Bear Klein: However Netanyahu has balked at handing over central Judea and Samaria, including the mountain ridges only a few miles from Tel Aviv and the Sharon Valley, to the PLO. There is considerable “circumstantial evidence,” including a revealing article in the Times of Israel, that Gantz supports the INSS plan, and even had a hand in drafting it, for a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, as a means of enabling the formation of a “contiguous” Palestinian state. It is true that he has been very secretive about his support for the INSS peace plan. But his secretiveness about it is even more troubling than his appeasement-oriented policies. The Prime Minister of Israel is should be someone who is willing to tell the Israeli public what he intends to do, and why. Tight-lipped, uncommunicative Gantz, who prefers to wotk in secret, is not that kind of politician. You have to study his evasive statements very carefully to figure out what he plans to do in office.
As for Leiberman, he has no credibility on this issue. He is the one who proposed a territorial “swap” with the PLO-PA that would give them an Arab-populated area very near the Mediterranean coast (the so-Called “Little Triangle”) in return for the PLO allowing Israel to retain the major setlement blocs (very generous of them). This was essentially in line with the Obama peace plan. It would have reduced Israel’s ultrarrow “waist” near the Mediteranian from 9 miles to about 3 miles. Lieberman also endorsed the proposal of ex-chief-of-staff Askenazi (now a high-ranking MK for Blue and White, and Gantz’s proposed Minister of Defense) that Israel should build a port for Gaza, at several billion dollars expense, without demanding peace from Hamas in return.
The anti-Zionist Arab parties have endorsed Gantz, not Netanyahu.
Israel would best served by a new Likud Leader either Gideon Saar or Nir Barkat in my view.
I would prefer a right wing government but that is not feasible at this point in time.
I would like to see a Coalition of Likud (with a New Leader as the PM), Blue-White, New Right, Labor-Gesher, Shas and Yisreal Betenyu.
This mix could perhaps be stable (hope) and address some of Israel’s issues and day to day needs. Yes this unity government will not obtain all the right-wing would like to accomplish but is hopefully better than a care-taker government which accomplishes nothing and third election is likely just a waste of money and spread of more ill will among Israelis.
Israel needs a leader that is not bogged down in keeping his butt out of prison but is soley focused on Israel’s well being. The job is tough enough with talking to lawyer’s half the day about personal legal problems.
So unless Bibi is cleared of the charges I prefer the Likud replace him with either Saar or Nir Barkat. I like them both! Barkat as Mayor of Jerusalem had some excellent experience. His starting and successfully running is a true credit to him. Also he would be the first Israeli PM who is extremely rich and would not be in need of giving people favors to obtain wealth (i.e. Olmert).
@ Adam Dalgliesh:Liberman’s challenge to these charges that seem like a red herring and are not based in fact (in other words desperate lies) are the following:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/270306