Another West Wing departure leaves Kushner taking point on Middle East peace

[riversedge]

Source: rollcall



Official: Presidential son-in-law, ‘a few others’ will try to fill void left by Greenblatt’s exit
Posted Sep 5, 2019 12:54 PM



President Donald Trump announced White House Middle East peace envoy Jason Greenblatt is leaving the administration, essentially handing presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner the task of completing an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.

Greenblatt and Kushner released the economic part of a Middle East peace plan earlier this year that was immediately rejected by Palestinian leaders and congressional Democrats; Republican members were notably silent about the blueprint.

The White House has yet to make public its more tricky political peace plan, which must lay out resolution to myriad thorny issues...................


The White House’s final Middle East plan is expected to exclude a call for a so-called “two-state solution” that would create an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.



“In my decades working on this issue, I have yet to see any plan other than the two-state solution that would ensure that Israel remains both majority Jewish and democratic, and addresses and advances the rights and the dignity of the Palestinian people,” House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot L. Engel, D-New York, said in June..........................................

Read more: https://www.rollcall.com/news/whitehouse/another-west-wing-departure-leaves-kushner-taking-point-middle-east-peace

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Link to tweet

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[Thomas Hurt]

1. accomplished nothing but kissing Trump's @## but that is all that matters.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Kushner's Middle East peace plan drifts further astray as envoy resigns

Greenblatt may stay in the role until the publication of the long-delayed plan, which is now due to come out some time after Israeli elections on 17 September. However, if those elections bring about the fall of Donald Trump’s close ally, Benjamin Netanyahu, the plan could be shelved indefinitely.

“Greenblatt’s leaving may have to do with the dim prospects of the so-called peace plan,” said Khaled Elgindy, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, and author of a book on US policy towards the Palestinians, Blind Spot. “What I do know is that it won’t make any difference to what is not really a plan – let’s call it a vision – because there is no chance of it going anywhere.”
...
Greenblatt, a real estate lawyer with no experience in diplomacy, began working on the would-be plan in 2017 with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in what the president has said would be the “ultimate deal”.

It was reported on Thursday that a 30 year-old Kushner aide, Avi Berkowitz – who graduated from law school in 2016 and has no Middle East experience, would take over some of Greenblatt’s role, while the state department’s special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, would broaden his responsibilities to include Israel and the Palestinian territories.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/05/kushner-middle-east-peace-plan-jason-greenblatt-envoy-resign

If you're wondering where you've heard of Brian Hook recently, he was the genius behind this:

Iran tanker: US offers captain millions to hand over ship

The US state department has confirmed it offered millions of dollars to the captain of an Iranian oil tanker which is at the centre of a diplomatic row.

Brian Hook, head of the department's Iran Action Group, emailed the captain of the Adrian Darya 1 about sailing it somewhere the US could seize it.
...
"I am writing with good news," the email read. The Trump administration was willing to pay the captain several million dollars to take the ship somewhere it could be seized by US authorities.
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Mr Kumar ignored the emails. The US then imposed sanctions on him personally when they blacklisted the Adrian Darya 1.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-49589075

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Well well,with the new look of

Princess Ivana (Ivanka is the Czech Spelling),we could see this coming. Next will be John Bolton. More of the Saudi Domination of the Mid East via Ken and Barbie Kushner.

[erronis]

5. So, we know the SAs had absolute hold over W and perhaps pappy. Now the trump group. All the (r)s?

Have we been somewhat blaming putin and his USSR wet dreams for much of the evil in this and prior (r) administrations?

What do the SAs have other than oil? Haven't we (US) become less dependent on that cartel?

There must be some other - stronger and worse - ties to make a lot of people act as traitors.

[JonLP24]

8. I agree

[keithbvadu2]

4. Trump's idea of leadership and teamwork.

Trump's idea of leadership and teamwork.

Donald does not want to lead or govern. He wants to rule.

Jared is just part of Trump.

'I'm The Only One That Matters,' Trump Says Of State Dept. Job Vacancies
November 3, 2017

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/11/03/561797675/im-the-only-one-that-matters-trump-says-of-state-dept-job-vacancies
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https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212212668

Guess who said this today: "the only one who matters is me"
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/22/trump-praises-john-bolton-iran-1376707

After calling Bolton a "hawk," Trump added, "I have other people that don’t take that posture, but the only one that matters is me."
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https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212212992

Why Trump can't fill the gaping holes in his government

[Nitram]

6. "Another West Wing departure leaves Kushner taking point on Middle East peace" What could go wrong?

[AKing]

7. Sounds like it's time for Boy Wonder and Barbie to do what they do best....Go on vacation.

[Bayard]

9. Greenblatt was loyal--the most important qualification

Kushner handling this delicate negotiation reminds me of Charlie Brown trying to organize the xmas party.