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Jared Kushner Founds 'Abraham Accords Institute'

Bahrain’s FM Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and UAE FM Abdullah bin Zayed participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords (Reuters)
Bahrain’s FM Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and UAE FM Abdullah bin Zayed participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords (Reuters)
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Jared Kushner Founds 'Abraham Accords Institute'

Bahrain’s FM Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and UAE FM Abdullah bin Zayed participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords (Reuters)
Bahrain’s FM Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and UAE FM Abdullah bin Zayed participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords (Reuters)

Former US President Donald Trump's advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner is founding an organization called the Abraham Accords Institute for Peace, to work on deepening the normalization agreements he helped strike between Israel and Arab countries.

Kushner was the main architect of the Abraham Accord between several Arab countries and Israel.

According to a statement, the institute will focus on increasing trade and tourism between Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, Morocco and Sudan, and developing programs to foster people-to-people connections between the countries.

It will also "provide analysis of the benefits of normalization and the potential benefits additional Arab countries can receive if they join the Abraham Accords,” reported Axios.

The board is still being formed with talks underway to include representatives from both Morocco and Sudan, and it is expected to launch activities in 2022.

The founders also want to add more democrats and advisers from the region.

“In less than a year, this warm peace is melting decades of misunderstanding and hostility across the region. This is a peace among peoples as much as it is among nations. This will be the institute’s focus – to nurture and deepen these human connections.”

The statement and leaks in the US and Israeli media did not mention the peace agreements between Israel, Egypt, and Jordan.

Former White House envoy Avi Berkowitz is also founding the institute, along with Israeli-US businessman and Democratic donor Haim Saban, and three top officials from the region: the US and Bahraini ambassadors to Washington, Yousef al-Otaiba and Abdulla al-Khalifa, and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.

The executive director will be Rob Greenway, the former top Middle East advisor on Trump's national security council.

The final weeks of the former administration witnessed the signing of peace and normalization agreements between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.

Observers regard those agreements as arguably Trump's biggest foreign policy achievement and the biggest breakthrough for relations between Israel and the Arab world for 25 years.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration said it wants to expand on the Accords and potentially include additional countries.

President Joe Biden spoke Tuesday with UAE Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed and said the normalization of relations between the UAE and Israel was of strategic importance to the US.

They discussed regional and global challenges, including Afghanistan, the nuclear and regional dimensions of the threat posed by Iran, as well as the common quest for de-escalation and peace in the Middle East, according to the White House.

President Biden and the Crown Prince agreed on the priority of working together to address conflicts.

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Moscow Open to Dialogue with Trump on Syria

The Russian Foreign Minister during a meeting last week in the Kazakh capital, Astana (Reuters)
The Russian Foreign Minister during a meeting last week in the Kazakh capital, Astana (Reuters)
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Moscow Open to Dialogue with Trump on Syria

The Russian Foreign Minister during a meeting last week in the Kazakh capital, Astana (Reuters)
The Russian Foreign Minister during a meeting last week in the Kazakh capital, Astana (Reuters)

Russia, Iran, and Türkiye have called for an end to Israel’s military escalation in the Middle East, expressing concern over the worsening regional situation and warning of negative impacts on Syria.
At the conclusion of the 22nd round of Syria talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, the three countries reaffirmed their commitment to a political solution, focused on restarting the work of the Constitutional Committee.
The escalation in the region, combined with the uncertainty following US President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, was a major topic of discussion in Astana, both during bilateral talks and in broader sessions.
The Russian delegation was led by Alexander Lavrentiev, Special Representative for Syria, while Iran’s delegation was headed by Ali Asghar Haji, Senior Political Advisor to the Foreign Minister. Türkiye’s delegation was led by Ambassador Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul, Director-General for Syrian Affairs at the Foreign Ministry.
The Syrian government delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Riad, and the opposition delegation, led by Ahmad Tohme, were also present.
Representatives from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), along with observers from Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq, attended the talks.
UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen was also present.
Sources at the meetings told Asharq Al-Awsat that much of the discussion focused on the impact of ongoing Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and Lebanon and their effects on Syria, particularly amid Israel’s efforts to expand the conflict.
There was a strong emphasis on preventing Syria from becoming further embroiled in the growing conflict. Additionally, the impact of Trump’s election on US policy towards the region and Syria was widely discussed, with increasing speculation that Trump might follow through on promises to withdraw US troops from Syria.
This issue was highlighted by Russia’s envoy, Lavrentiev, at the close of the talks.
Lavrentiev stated that Russia is open to talks with the new US administration once it is in place to discuss issues related to Syria.
“If there are proposals, Russia is open and ready to continue communication with the US,” he added.
According to Lavrentiev, “Some compromises can only be reached through negotiations.”
A source from the Syrian opposition, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, said there is a shared view that a US withdrawal from Syria is “not inevitable, even if Trump has mentioned it.”
The source noted that Trump has become more pragmatic and responsive to the "deep state," with a better understanding of foreign policy.
The source also pointed out that Türkiye shares this view. While Ankara wants the US to leave, it does not want a unilateral withdrawal without coordination, especially since the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are open to talks with both the Syrian government and Russia.

The discussions also highlighted that, despite Israel's efforts to reduce Iranian influence in the region, it is unlikely that Trump will push for a withdrawal under the current situation.