Kushner warns Abbas the US will present peace plan without Palestinian Authority support
United States President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East adviser Jared Kushner has accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of not having the will to secure a peace deal with Israel.
“I question President Abbas’s ability, or desire, to finish the deal,” Mr Kushner told the Palestinian newspaper Al Quds.
“He has the same talking points that haven’t changed in the past 25 years.
“Peace hasn’t been achieved during that period.”
The comments came at the end of a week-long trip to the region, where he and US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt met the leaders of Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to discuss US proposals.
Mr Kushner said the White House was willing to present its peace plan without Palestinian support.
Mr Trump has promised to pursue the “ultimate deal” between Israelis and Palestinians. He put his son-in-law, who has no previous diplomatic experience, in charge.
Mr Kushner and his delegation did not meet Palestinian leaders, who have shunned the US government since Mr Trump said in December that he was moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, but the Palestinians hope to have the capital of their state in the east of the city.
Mr Kushner appealed to Palestinians, promising that his peace plan would offer them greater economic prosperity.
“The global community is getting frustrated with Palestinian leadership and not seeing many actions that are constructive towards achieving peace,” he said. “There are a lot of sharp statements and condemnations, but no ideas or efforts with prospects of success.”
Mr Kushner said the Palestinian leadership was “scared we will release our peace plan and the Palestinian people will actually like it”, because it would offer them a better life.
“To make a deal, both sides will have to take a leap and meet somewhere between their stated positions,” he said. “I am not sure President Abbas has the ability to do that.”
Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on Saturday accused the US of “creating a state of destabilisation and confusion in the West Bank” to “target the leadership”. A proposal to redirect to Gaza tax revenue that Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority is meant to sustain Hamas’s takeover of the territory, “while bringing down the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank”, Mr Erekat told Voice of Palestine radio.
On Saturday, Mr Abbas’s spokesman said the Trump team’s mission to the Middle East would be a waste of time if it avoided tackling the political issues at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Mr Kushner said the long-awaited peace plan was almost complete but he offered scant detail other than to say that economic support and investment could entice Palestinians to support the proposal.
“We are committed to finding a package of solutions the two sides can live with,” he said. “Resolving fundamental issues without creating a path for a better life will not lead to a lasting solution.”
But Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said it wanted to focus on issues such as borders, the right of return for refugees and the status of Jerusalem.
“The American administration must understand the important need to stop pursuing imaginary political alternatives and projects aimed at splitting the Palestinian homeland to prevent the establishment of our Palestinian state,” Mr Abu Rudeina said.
Any peace plan will face significant hurdles, not least of which is the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the cross-border violence between Hamas and Israel.
Without support from the Palestinian leadership, it is not clear how a US plan could progress.
“If President Abbas is willing to come back to the table, we are ready to engage,” Mr Kushner said. “If he is not, we will likely air the plan publicly.”
Most UN countries condemned the embassy move and the US has become increasingly isolated over its handling of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
To make a deal, both sides will have to take a leap and meet somewhere between their stated positions JARED KUSHNER Adviser, US government