Trump: if Jared Kushner can’t achieve peace in Middle East, ‘it can’t be done’

If Jared Kushner cannot achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians, Donald Trump claimed on Saturday, “it can’t be done”.

The president also told the Israeli American Council national summit some Jewish people in America don’t love Israel enough, a remark some said was antisemitic, and attacked the Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar for what he called her “despicable rhetoric” about Israel.

Speaking in Hollywood, Florida, after addressing a Republican dinner in nearby Aventura, the president introduced Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser who has played a leading role in helping the administration craft its Middle East peace plan.

Trump said he had long been told that achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians would be the hardest deal of all. But “if Jared Kushner can’t do it, it can’t be done”, he said.

The White House has said its peace plan is complete and had promised to release it after Israeli elections in September. The long-delayed plan remains under wraps, and Israel appears headed for its third round of elections this year.

The plan also faces rejection by Palestinian officials, who object to the pro-Israel leanings of the Trump administration.

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Article URL : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/08/trump-jared-kushner-israel-palestinians-peace