Former White House advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump may have stayed away from the current political scene, but they are still very much involved in the Trump-era policy of the Abraham Accords. The couple recently traveled to Jerusalem to meet with Israeli lawmakers who have launched the Abraham Accords Caucus.
AFP reports that Kushner and Ms. Trump met with Israeli lawmakers, with Kushner being one of the individuals responsible for bringing forward the agreement that would normalize relations between Israel and Arab nations. Along with Kushner and Ms. Trump, other Trump administration officials were also in Jerusalem this week but for a different purpose. Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Donald Trump’s former US ambassador to Israel David Friedman were to open a museum exhibit in the area.
The couple attended the launch of the Abraham Accords Caucus in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, where Kushner gave his remarks on the deal that was considered one of the biggest achievements in foreign policy by the Trump administration.
Kushner said that the caucus would bring forward a “new paradigm” in the region, with outcomes that will vary depending on the action taken by the current leaders of the countries involved in the Accords. The deal signaled a break in the long-running consensus of Arab nations that no relations with Israel would happen until the situation with Palestine is still unsolved.
Critics have also accused Kushner of advancing the reconciliation between Israel and Arab nations in place of efforts to advance the rights of Palestinians. Israeli media outlets have also reported some frustration among Israeli officials over the lack of momentum in advancing the accords by the current US administration of President Joe Biden.
Previously, more revelations about Kushner and Ms. Trump were made according to details from former White House press secretary and chief of staff to now-former first lady Melania Trump, Stephanie Grisham, and her tell-all book. Speaking with CNN, Grisham revealed that Kushner was never challenged or questioned about his decisions by anyone as he is the son-in-law of the twice impeached former president.
Grisham claimed that Kushner and Ms. Trump seemed to think of themselves as the ones who are actually running the US government as the shadow president and first lady.