Donald Trump’s son-in-law has cast doubt on the Palestinians’ ability to govern themselves, hinting that his Middle East peace plan will not give them their own state.
Jared Kushner, tasked with striking “the deal of the century” to solve the conflict, said that it would be a high bar to grant the Palestinians freedom from Israeli interference.
“The hope is that over time they can become capable of governing themselves,” he said.
He refused to reveal whether his plan endorses a Palestinian state alongside the Israeli one, though he has previously hinted that it does not.
The political peace plan is complete and is expected to contain a blueprint for the economic development of the Palestinian territories. It is understood that the presentation of the final plan will largely depend on the reception of the economic proposals.
The Palestinian leadership has dismissed it, accusing the Trump administration of bias towards Israel, including in recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, closing the Palestinians’ de facto embassy in Washington and cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in aid.
Mr Kushner said the Palestinians should judge his plan on its merits. “I’m not here to be trusted,” he told the Axios news site. His comments came as a recording emerged of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo telling a private meeting of Jewish leaders that the plan was “unworkable” and was likely to fail.
Read the article by Catherine Philp in The Australian (from The Times).