Jared Kushner, son-in-law and senior aide to President Donald Trump, has told Sky News' Arabia service that the administration's much-touted peace plan will address all of the main points of conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians.
"We have tried to formulate practical and just solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian issue," Sky quotes Mr Kushner as saying.
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Despite the announcement, Mr Kushner was tight-lipped on details, saying that he did not yet wish to reveal too many.
"The American peace plan is very detailed and will focus on delineating the border and providing solutions to the main issues that are controversial and will be appropriate for the current situation on the ground," Mr Kushner reportedly said.
Kushner interviewed today on Sky News Arabic.
— Neri Zilber (@NeriZilber) 25 February 2019
— Says Is-Pal peace plan addresses all final status issues incl borders
— Heavy emphasis on economics & regional peace
— Wants Gaza & WB united under 1 leadership
BREAKING: Jared Kushner tells @skynewsarabia the Trump Israeli-Palestinian peace plan will focus on drawing the border, solving core issue and boosting the Palestinian economy
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) 25 February 2019
The real estate mogul and husband of Mr Trump's daughter, Ivanka, added that there is a need for internal reconciliation between the divided Palestinian leadership to ensure the plan's success.
"Today there is a significant split between Judea and Samara [the West Bank] and the Gaza Strip. We want to see the Palestinians unite under one leadership. We know that all the Palestinians want a leadership that will take care of their interests and be free of corruption."
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Interestingly, Kushner also noted that the deal has so far received endorsement from the major Arab states, adding that they are also united with Israel against the perceived threat of Iran.
"The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has been used for many years to incite and radicalize, when hatred of Israel united all the countries in the region. Today that has changed because of Iran, which is the greatest threat to the entire region and unites all of them."
The Trump administration is slated to launch its Israel-Palestine peace plan after Tel Aviv's upcoming elections in April.
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Palestinian politics is currently split between two competing factions — Fatah, which governs the West Bank, and Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since winning an election there in 2006. Following Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, a body called the 'Palestinian National Authority' was slated to take administrative control of both territories. Yet, it didn't take long for a full-scale conflict to break out between both political sides, which resulted in Hamas kicking Fatah out of Gaza in 2007. The Palestinian political body has been split in two ever since.
What would Jared Kushner know about a middle east peace plan? Close to nil is my guess.
— Norm Cook (@norm_cook) 21 February 2019
This is more likely a business trip to secure lucrative contracts.
Israel has been locked in conflict with the Palestinians for generations, with the latter demanding, among other things, an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital city. Yet, Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserts that Jerusalem is the "undivided" and "eternal" capital of Israel, effectively dismissing Palestinian claims to sovereignty.
