Kushner, Egypt’s Sissi discuss Israel-Palestinian peace process
Egyptian president calls for two-state solution, with East Jerusalem as Palestinian capital
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner and his special envoy Jason Greenblatt met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi on Thursday to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Sissi told the US diplomats, who are touring the region in a bid to revive long-stalled talks, that Egypt supports a “just and comprehensive settlement” to the conflict.
He argued in favor of a “two-state solution on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Palestine,” the presidency said in a statement.
Trump’s administration sparked anger across the Arab world in December by recognizing Jerusalem as capital of the Jewish state, a move that was welcomed by Israelis across the political spectrum.
The Palestinian leadership responded by freezing all contacts with US officials.
In May Washington moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, sparking mass demonstrations and stoking deadly clashes on Israel’s flashpoint border with Gaza.
The White House said Thursday that Kushner and Greenblatt had discussed increasing cooperation between the US and Egypt.
They also talked about “the need to facilitate humanitarian relief to Gaza, and the Trump administration’s efforts to facilitate peace between the Israelis and Palestinians,” it said.
Sissi’s office said he had told them Egypt maintains “ongoing contacts with the parties concerned to advance efforts to revive negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis.”
He also pointed to Egypt’s efforts to promote reconciliation between the Fatah movement of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the Hamas terror group, which rules Gaza.
The PA, which sees the Trump administration as biased toward Israel, said Saturday that US plans to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are “doomed to fail.”
Kushner and Greenblatt met Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman on Tuesday before visiting Riyadh to meet Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
They are reportedly planning visits to Israel and Qatar.
