The trio of failed 'architects' of the new Middle East Peace plan

US President Donald Trump with his trio of Middle East Peace advisers and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: AP

Bare-handed "catch" peace

History will name the trio: Jared Kushner, David Friedman and Jason Greenblatt as the most unlikely peacemakers of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Simply because they were entrusted with the task of resolving the decades-long dispute without any political or diplomatic experience.

So what do these three individuals have in common when they share the same goal of creating a brighter future for the Middle East?

They are both Orthodox Jews. Second, they both have some connection to Israel, and specifically to the illegal Jewish settlements that still exist in the occupied West Bank. Both Friedman and Kushner, through a family charity, have donated for years to the Bet Il settlement, located in the Hamas-controlled territory of Ramallah. Greenblatt attended a Jewish seminary in a settlement near Jerusalem in the 1980s.

These three men have all been praised by US President Donald Trump as the best candidates to design America's plan for Middle East peace - a task that is not only daunting because of its scale, but also requires extensive political knowledge and skills.

But ultimately, the world will be looking to these three men for their work, regardless of whether they are suited to mediating one of the world's biggest flashpoints.

In fact, although not yet fully announced, the plan of this trio is completely different from the Middle East policy of previous US administrations. For many decades before that, Washington always supported the solution of two states of Israel and Palestine coexisting peacefully on the basis of the 1967 borders with the Palestinian capital being East Jerusalem. This is considered the foundation for resolving the disputes of this conflict.

Jared Kushner - son-in-law of the US President and senior advisor to the White House is one of three people who built the new Middle East Peace plan. Photo: Reuters

Meanwhile, the “Kushner et al” group chose to tackle this task with the opposite approach: focusing on the economic aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And to this day, in the third year of Mr. Trump’s presidency, the other side of the Middle East peace is still not mentioned, or is at some unspecified future date.

The economic solution was presented at a two-day “conference” held on June 25-26 in Manama, Bahrain. The Palestinian Authority boycotted the event and limited its relations with the US because it considered the conference “biased and pro-Israel”. Meanwhile, no one saw the official presence of Israeli officials.

Dubbed “Peace to Prosperity,” the White House wants to call on global investors to raise $50 billion for infrastructure in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. At the core of the plan is the US administration’s desire to link peace and economic development with Arab recognition of Israel and forced acceptance of Palestinian “autonomy” instead of the “sovereignty” they still demand. Palestinians call it a plan to pay for Palestinian rights, despite the core political problem – the Jewish state’s occupation that has devastated the daily lives of Palestinians for decades.

Pro-Trump and pro-Israel

The most talked about member of the "trio" is senior White House adviser Jared Kushner - Trump's son-in-law, who is also in charge of relations with China, Mexico and Canada.

Jared Kushner, a former real estate developer and CEO of his family business, attended Harvard University, where his father donated $2.5 million. Rumors have since swirled, with many questioning whether Jared earned the honor through his own talent or family connections.

Jared Kushner's position in the White House has also faced criticism not only for nepotism but also for perceived conflicts of interest - when he could profit from business opportunities.

The Kushner family itself has openly considered Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu a family friend. During a recent visit to the US, Netanyahu stopped by Kushner's house. He even said that if he were to sleep at Kushner's house, he would choose Jared's room. Despite his role as a Middle East peacemaker, Jared Kushner does not believe in the Palestinians' ability to run a state. In an interview with Axios, Jared said: "Hopefully, one day they will be able to run a government."

Jason Greenblatt visits the Nahal Oz settlement outside the Gaza Strip. Photo: Reuters

Jason Greenblatt, a commercial lawyer, has worked with the US President even longer. For nearly two decades, Jason was executive vice president and general counsel of the Trump Organization. In 2016, President Trump described Jason Greenblatt as a “true lover of Israel.” Greenblatt gets his information about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through daily email briefings, news from a major US Jewish advocacy group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and a weekly Hebrew-language radio program.

“I have said that I have a high level of contact with the Israeli government and listen to their thoughts,” Greenblatt said. Jason Greenblatt also made no secret of the fact that he has had no contact with Palestinians since he was a student at the Jewish Seminary in Yeshivat Har Etzion 30 years ago. Jason Greenblatt also expressed his aversion to the two-state solution.

At a meeting of the UN Security Council last month, Greenblatt did not hesitate to call the agency's "obsession" with the issue of Jewish settlements a farce. Jason even blamed the UN Palestine Refugee Agency (UNRWA) for perpetuating the Palestinian refugee problem. And that was the basis for the US to cut the budget of 300 million USD for UNRWA. Finally, Jason Greenblatt also likened the Middle East peace process to a business transaction.