'You Are the Problem': Kushner Claims Netanyahu Nearly Thwarted Trump's Embassy Move to Jerusalem

The revelations reportedly come from from the highly anticipated memoir by the former president's son-in-law and key adviser on the Middle East and normalization of Arab-Israeli relations, Jared Kushner, due late next month.

After a contentious phone call with then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former US President Donald Trump nearly changed his mind about moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2017, Jared Kushner's upcoming memoir claims.

The Forward reported on Saturday that Netanyahu's response on the embassy move was decidedly lukewarm when Trump told him he had chosen to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the embassy there.

Kushner reportedly claimed that Netanyahu's chilly response nearly derailed the plan, the outlet alleged, quoting passages that a Saudi official pulled from “Breaking History: A White House Memoir" and uploaded online.

In a phone call that took place on December 5, 2017, Trump reportedly told Netanyahu of the decision before the official announcement, but the former prime minister only said, "If you choose to do that, I will support you."

According to Kushner, a perplexed Trump repeated himself when he had anticipated an enthusiastic response, to which Netanyahu once more "responded with less-than-expected enthusiasm."

"Trump began to second-guess his decision… [he] wondered aloud why he was taking this risk if the Israeli prime minister didn’t think it was that important," Kushner wrote in a book, adding that Trump then told Netanyahu: "Bibi, I think you are the problem."

By pointing out that he was a part of the solution, Netanyahu "coolly countered," saying that he was part of the solution instead. Kushner, though, claimed he could tell Trump was "frustrated" in a noticeable way. Still, the former presidential adviser did not explain why he believed Netanyahu reacted the way he did.

The former prime minister's office has commented on the allegations by explaining Netanyahu had indeed expressed his gratitude over the embassy move after requesting Trump to do so "several times," according to the Times of Israel.

"President Trump said to Prime Minister Netanyahu before making the decision: ‘Some of my people say this step will be dangerous for the US. What do you think?’ Netanyahu responded that he did not see any real danger and that there was no reason not to move the embassy," the response read. "It is doubtful that the embassy would have been moved had Netanyahu answered the president otherwise."

A day later in December 2017, Trump carried out his decision and reportedly rebuffed requests from Arab leaders who were incensed by it.

Since Israel's establishment in 1948, Jerusalem has been set as its capital, despite the fact that majority of the international community does not recognize it because, according to the initial UN Partition Plan, Jerusalem was supposed to be an international city.

When he announced his intention to move the embassy in December 2017, Trump effectively recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The new facility was officially opened by his administration in May 2018, which sparked a heated debate in Washington and the Middle East. Trump claimed at the time that the choice was taken in order to benefit US interests, regional peace, and Israel's sovereignty.

Talking Trump's Ear Off

More to the peculiar revelations, Kushner supposedly claimed in the book that Trump lashed out at Netanyahu for serving a lengthy, multi-course dinner on the first day of his 2017 visit to Israel.

“It was beautiful, but every time I thought the meal would end, another course would come out,” Trump complained to his son-in-law, adding that Netanyahu “was talking my ear off.”

Kushner made sarcastic reference to the incident as an error of Israeli intelligence, noting that "Bibi should have known his audience better— he would have won Trump’s favor if he had simply served a hamburger and allowed him to go to the hotel to relax."

Throughout Trump's presidency, Netanyahu and he remained friendly, but the former president felt betrayed when Netanyahu congratulated current US President Joe Biden on his victory in the 2020 election.