Trump’s insistence on pushing the untried Kushner into such an important and difficult role comes at a historic low point in the moribund peace process.
Trump has claimed in interviews that Kushner could succeed where other more experienced peace negotiators have failed. He has said Kushner, the husband of Ivanka Trump and an Orthodox Jew who is the grandson of Holocaust survivors, “knows the region, knows the people, knows the players”.
Indeed, Kushner’s only other significant contact with a senior Israeli politician before last year appears to have been with the mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat. Kushner does, however, appear to be familiar with wealthy rightwing US Jewish figures who back Israel.
Kushner’s views on the issue are believed to be reflected in his contribution to a speech Trump delivered to a pro-Israel lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, in the spring. It included a promise to challenge Iran and to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Despite Trump’s enthusiasm for Kushner, he will have to navigate a US anti-nepotism law that states a public official “may not appoint, employ, promote, advance, or advocate for appointment … any individual who is a relative of the public official”.
Kushner’s long-mooted role has been welcomed behind the scenes by the Netanyahu government. “What we know, he’s a really tough, smart guy, and we hope he will bring new energy to our region,” Israel’s defence minister, Avigdor Lieberman, said of Kushner last month.
Although Kushner is credited with guiding Trump’s thinking on the Israel-Palestine issue, pushing the incoming administration towards a more avowedly rightwing pro-Israel position, observers have been at a loss to pinpoint any direct experience of the issue, suggesting that if appointed he will have to learn quickly.
Palestinian officials, deeply concerned over the Kushner family’s links to a far-right Jewish settlement, told the Guardian that they had been told several weeks ago that Kushner was calling “the shots on the issue”, including over the embassy move.
Reflecting on Kushner’s lack of immediate experience, the veteran US Middle East peace negotiator Dennis Ross told the Jerusalem Post last week that Kushner would need to be a quick learner.
“People I know who know him describe him as smart, as someone who will clearly learn what he needs to learn and will approach things thoughtfully, carefully, even analytically,” Ross said. “So those would all be descriptors that I would hope would be accurate and emblematic of how he’ll approach his responsibilities helping the new president.”
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