BICOM

Jared Kushner told The Washington Institute last night that the US plan for Israeli-Palestinian talks is “a good starting point”.

He said: “What we will be able to put together is a solution that we believe is a good starting point for the political issues and then an outline for what can be done to help these people start living a better life … the people fundamentally want to live together, to have better lives, to pay their mortgages. I was given the assignment of trying to find a solution between the two sides and I think what we’ll put forward is a framework that I think is realistic … it’s executable and it’s something that I do think will lead to both sides being much better off.”

He called on Israelis and Palestinians to look at the plan before making decisions. “I hope both sides will take a real look at it, the Israeli side and the Palestinian side, before any unilateral steps are made,” said Kushner.

Kushner also said that both sides will “have to make compromises” in order to resolve the conflict, but added that US President Donald Trump is “not going to ask [Israel] to do things that would put them at risk”. He added that the President believes it is in the US, and the region’s, interests to ensure the US plan gives the Palestinians dignity and opportunity.

In response to a question from The Washington Institute’s Executive Director Rob Satloff on why the administration has not taken a position for or against a two-state solution, Kushner said that the phrase: “Means one thing to Israelis and another to Palestinians, so we told ourselves – let’s try not to say it”.

He said the plan will be published sometime after the next Israeli government is formed and after the month of Ramadan.

The Palestinians have already said they will reject the plan. In late April, President Mahmoud Abbas said: “What do they [the administration] have left to offer us? Is there anything else to offer us that will satisfy us? They’ve taken Jerusalem and the occupied territories, they’ve cancelled the refugees’ rights and recognised the settlements. They want to fool us. They have nothing to offer us, and even if they do want to offer something — it’s going to be worse than anything else.”