'The relationship between Israel and America is stronger than ever'
By Shlomo Cesana, Daniel Siryoti, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Israel Hayom
August 25, 2017
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Thursday in Jerusalem with U.S. Presidential Adviser Jared Kushner, Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategy Dina Powell, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.
The American delegation is visiting the region as part of Washington's efforts to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which has been stalled since 2014. The delegation also traveled to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
"I'm very pleased to see you again, Jared, with your delegation. We have a lot of things to talk about: how to advance peace, stability and security in our region -- prosperity too. And I think all of them are within our reach. So I'm happy to see you and the effort that you're leading on behalf of the president, with Jason and members of your team. I think this is a sign of the great alliance between us and the great goals that guide us," Netanyahu said.
Kushner extended his thanks to the prime minister, saying, "We're very appreciative of your team and all the efforts that they've made. The president is very committed to achieving a solution here that will be able to bring prosperity and peace to all people in this area, and we really appreciate the commitment of the prime minister and his team to engaging very thoughtfully and respectfully in the way that the president has asked them to do so. The relationship between Israel and America is stronger than ever, and we really thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for his leadership and his partnership."
The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement saying, "The Israeli and American teams discussed ways to promote peace and security in the region. The meeting was substantive and productive. The prime minister looks forward to continuing these discussions in the coming weeks and has expressed his gratitude to President Trump and his administration for their steadfast support for Israel."
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has defined a regional peace deal as a "top priority." To date, the Americans have defined the envoys' meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials as a "learning process" aimed at testing the waters when it comes to the chances of advancing the peace process at this time.
Still, senior Israeli officials told Israel Hayom that Washington's desire to announce the renewal of peace talks by September, before the annual U.N. General Assembly begins on Sept. 12, does not seem realistic.
Palestinians skeptic
Kushner's visit to the Palestinian Authority met with skepticism over the lack of clear vision for the peace process.
"If the U.S. team doesn't bring answers to our questions this time, we are going to look into our options, because the status quo is not working for our interests," Ahmad Majdalani, an aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said before the meeting.
Other disappointed Palestinian officials privately gripe that Trump's team has begun to support Israeli positions and ignore their concerns.
It was not clear whether Kushner offered any clarity during his three-hour meeting with Abbas, but Abbas' spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, called the meeting "positive" and said the Palestinian leader had reiterated his desire for an American commitment to a Palestinian state.
A White House statement later said that "the Palestinian Authority and the U.S. delegation had a productive meeting focused on how to begin substantive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Both sides agreed to continue with the U.S.-led conversations as the best way to reach a comprehensive peace deal."
Ahead of the meeting, Abbas said the Palestinians appreciated Trump's efforts.
"We know things are difficult and complicated, but nothing is impossible with good intentions," he said.
After years of on-and-off peace efforts that have yielded no progress, Abbas is deeply unpopular at home. He also is stuck in a bitter rivalry with the Islamic terrorist group Hamas, which seized the Gaza Strip from his forces a decade ago and is now pursuing a reconciliation deal with Mohammed Dahlan, Abbas' political nemesis.
As the American delegation is also scheduled to meet with Saudi, Egyptian and Jordanian officials, as well as with leaders from other countries in the Middle East, the Palestinians are growing increasingly wary of the possibility that the U.S. and Israel may pursue a regional move with the moderate Sunni states that would sideline the Palestinian issue.
PLO Executive Committee member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi told Arab media that the PA was "certain" that Israel and the U.S. were working together to remove the two-state vision from the international agenda.
A senior Palestinian official told Israel Hayom that Abbas made it clear to Kushner that the Palestinians would resume the peace process unless Trump publicly declares his support for the two-state solution.
"Netanyahu and his people want to remove the two-state vision from the table and we are sure there is American-Israeli coordination on the matter. We are also aware that there are Arab countries that support the desire to pursue a regional move at the expense of the Palestinian issue," he said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: If the relationship between Israel and America is stronger than ever, why hasn’t Trump kept his pledge to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem?
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