President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to push the US administration's long-awaited plan for Mideast peace, just as Israel was thrust into the political tumult of an unprecedented second election in the same year.
Kushner and US special envoy Jason Greenblatt stopped in Israel as part of a Middle East tour to rally support for the administration's upcoming economic conference in Bahrain, which the White House bills as the first portion of its peace plan.
In brief joint remarks, Kushner touted American-Israeli cooperation, saying, "The security of Israel is something that is critical to the relationship between America and Israel and also very important to the president, and we appreciate all of your efforts to strengthen the relationship. ... It's never been stronger."
But public attention was dominated by Israel's political crisis.
Netanyahu attempted to play down concerns that the Israeli parliament's dramatic dissolution would further postpone the US peace plan rollout. "You know, we had a little event last night," he said. "That's not going to stop us."
"I’m tremendously encouraged by how the United States, under President Trump, is working to bring allies together in this region against common challenges, but also to seize common opportunities," he added.
At the White House, Trump weighed in expressing dismay at the prime minister's failure to form a governing coalition. Calling Netanyahu a "great guy," Trump said he feels "very badly" that the country has to face another election because there is "enough turmoil" in the region.
Israel's reopened election season presents another stumbling block for Trump's Mideast peace process, which the Palestinians, citing the administration's pro-Israel bias, have rejected out of hand.
