In Peace Push, U.S. Envoys To Visit Israel, Egypt & Saudi Arabia

White House special adviser Jared Kushner and chief American negotiator Jason Greenblatt are slated to travel to Israel and other Middle East countries next week to discuss when to present an 18-months-in-the-making peace plan, as well as to seek ideas on how to solve the crisis in the Gaza Strip. According to reports, President Donald Trump would like to unveil the peace proposal this month, shortly after the completion of Ramadan; however, American officials are reticent given that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas imposed a boycott on the U.S. administration in the wake of its recognition in December of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. As such, there are those who believe that the tour by Kushner and Greenblatt may be aimed at strengthening the support of Arab leaders, who, in turn, might apply pressure on the PA to at the very least begin rehabilitating ties with Washington. Regarding Gaza, the U.S. envoys apparently do not have a clear plan for resolving the humanitarian situation and are therefore seeking advice from regional partners.