Kushner has talks with Netanyahu, Abbas
Gaza power plant on
JERUSALEM, June 22, (Agencies): US President Donald Trump’s senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner held “productive” meetings with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday, the White House said.
Kushner, accompanied by Trump’s Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, is attempting to broker a deal to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, frozen since US-led talks collapsed in 2014.
Washington’s ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, also attended the sitdown with Netanyahu.
“The three United States officials discussed Israel’s priorities and potential next steps with Prime Minister Netanyahu, acknowledging the critical role Israel plays in the security of the region,” the White House said in a statement.
“The meeting was productive and the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to advancing President Trump’s goal of a genuine and lasting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians that enhances stability in the region,” the statement read. In short video released by Netanyahu’s office, the prime minister told Kushner: “This is an opportunity to pursue our common goals of security, prosperity and peace.”
“I welcome you here in that spirit. I know of your efforts, the president’s efforts, and I look forward to working with you.”
Greenblatt and Kushner both accompanied Trump in May on his first visit as president to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Both men also met Abbas and his senior advisors in Ramallah, accompanied by US Consul General Donald Blome, for talks the White House also dubbed “productive.”
“Kushner and Greenblatt discussed with President Abbas priorities for the Palestinians and potential next steps, acknowledging the need for economic opportunities for Palestinians and major investments in the Palestinian economy,” it said.
A White House official said this week Trump “strongly believes that peace is possible,” and that Greenblatt and Kushner expect to visit the region multiple times in coming months in a bid to build confidence between the two sides.
Meanwhile, the sole power plant in electricity-starved Gaza Strip sputtered back to life Thursday after receiving fuel from Egypt — a shipment that resulted from a surprising alliance between bitter ex-rivals, including the territory’s ruling Hamas and an exiled former Gaza strongman.
Campaign
Egypt’s shipment of 1 million liters of fuel undercut a high-stakes campaign by Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who is trying to weaken Hamas by gradually reducing the flow of electricity to the territory he lost to the militants in 2007.
Gaza’s power plant had shut down in April, after Hamas could no longer afford to buy heavily taxed fuel from Abbas’ West Bank autonomy government.
This left the territory with electricity sent from Israel, but paid for by Abbas’ Palestinian Authority. The electricity from Israel covered about one-third of Gaza’s needs, meaning Gazans were getting power for only about four hours a day.
In recent days, Israel cut the electricity flow by 40 percent, at Abbas’ request.
The output of the power plant, which resumed operations Thursday, makes up for the Abbas-initiated cuts, said Mohammed Thabit, a spokesman of the Gaza electricity company.
Hamas officials said more fuel shipments are expected this week, adding that 1 million liters can keep the plant running for three-and-a-half days.
Abbas has not commented publicly on the Egyptian shipment, but aides have said he is upset with the Arab nation for undercutting his pressure campaign. On Wednesday, the Abbas government tried to prevent the power plant from accepting the Egyptian fuel shipment, threatening punitive measures if it opened its gates to the Egyptian fuel trucks, said Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas official.
Hamas obtained a local court order forcing the power plant to accept the shipment, Hamad said.
A Palestinian official said the Palestinian Authority had threatened to withhold its monthly support payment to the privately owned power plant if it accepted the Egyptian fuel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss confidential negotiations with the media.
The fuel shipments, which ostensibly shore up Hamas rule, seem to run counter to Egypt’s policy of trying to isolate and weaken Hamas, which it has accused of stirring unrest in the restive Sinai Peninsula next to Gaza. Earlier this month, Egypt had joined several Gulf nations in boycotting Qatar, in part because of Qatar’s support for Hamas.
Furthermore, Israel’s defence minister on Thursday accused Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas of trying to spark a fresh conflict between the Jewish state and Abbas’s longtime rivals Hamas.
Avigdor Lieberman said Abbas, head of the secular Fatah movement that rules the occupied West Bank, was trying to increase tensions by cutting payments for electricity and other services in Gaza.