Kushner Discusses Mideast Peace With bin Salman in Saudi Arabia

YERUSHALAYIM
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner (L.) meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R.) during his visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday. (Saudi Press Agency/Handout via Reuters)

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and White House aide Jared Kushner have discussed the prospects for peace in the Middle East, the Saudi state news agency reported.

The two also discussed the need to resume negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians at their meeting in Riyadh Tuesday, the report said.

An official in the Saudi Foreign Ministry said that although Saudi Arabia welcomes and supports the deal between Israel and the UAE and any deal that will follow, “Saudi Arabia will not at this stage join the countries signing peace deals with Israel.”

The Saudi official added that “Saudi Arabia will not turn its back on the Arab peace plan of which it is the architect. The plan is based on Saudi Arabia and dozens of Arab and Muslim countries normalizing relations with Israel in exchange for [the establishment of] a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital.”

In addition, the Saudi official noted, “Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involved at every stage of the deal between Israel and the Emirates. But as long as his father [King Salman] is alive, he will continue to stick to the Arab peace plan.”

Meanwhile, Arab media outlets continue to report that officials in Gulf states expect Bahrain to be the next Arab state to sign a peace deal with Israel.

To Read The Full Story

Are you already a subscriber?
Click to log in!