White House official: Kushner to visit Israel this month
President Donald Trump’s top Mideast adviser, Jared
Kushner, will visit Saudi Arabia and Israel at the end of the month, a senior
U.S. official said Thursday.
Kushner, who also is Trump’s son in law, will join
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at an economic conference in Saudi Arabia
before heading to Israel, the official said.
In Israel, Kushner is scheduled to meet Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his chief political rival, Benny Gantz. The
official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak
publicly.
The White House says Kushner is preparing to release
an oft-delayed Mideast peace plan in which Saudi Arabia is expected to play a
significant role. The White House has not said when Kushner will present the
plan, but the official said it is not expected to happen during the upcoming
visit.
Israel’s post-election political paralysis has
complicated Kushner’s mission.
Neither Netanyahu nor Gantz secured a parliamentary
majority in the Sept. 17 election. Attempts at forming a unity government have
so far been unsuccessful.
