Thursday, June 22, 2017

US officials: Achieving peace will take time

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, Middle East special envoy Jason Greenblatt, and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman Wednesday to discuss the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
 
The American side reported that the meeting was "positive and fruitful" and that both sides reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the goal set by US President Donald Trump to achieve a real and stable peace between Israel and the PA.
 
The three senior US officials discussed the Israeli position on key issues in the political process and on the next steps that Israel and the United States see as necessary, in recognition of Israel's important role in ensuring the security and stability of the region.
American officials stressed during the meeting that achieving peace will take time, and that it is important to do everything possible to create an atmosphere conducive to peacemaking.
Kushner and Greenblatt were to meet before leaving the region with Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
 
At the end of the week, they are to return to Washington and bring their summary of meetings in the region to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
After that, discussions will be held about the next steps the administration intends to take, while the American side makes it clear that the desire is to bring about a meeting between Netanyahu and Abbas in the near future.