Skip to main content

Trump, Putin both want piece of Middle East peace talks

Russia and the United States can each bring advantages to the Mideast peace negotiating table, but neither is likely to solve all the issues without the other's cooperation.
White House senior advisor Ivanka Trump (2nd-R), U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman (3rd-R), U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (C), U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan (3rd-L), White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner (2nd-L) and Israeli officials pose for a photo upon arrival at the Ben Gurion International Airport, near Lod, Israel May 13, 2018. Courtesy David Azagury/U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv/Handout via REUTERS    ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1E15DFCD

As US President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner recently toured the Middle East discussing Trump's proposed peace plan, Russia was busy with its own efforts on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

Given that the Trump administration hasn't revealed many details about the plan, Moscow presumes Kushner was promoting US brokerage of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and discussing recent developments in the Gaza Strip. Russia believes Trump's controversial decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem virtually ensures that the Palestinians will refuse to accept the United States as primary mediators in the peace process. That said, however, the United States still has a lot to offer the Palestinians and the region as a whole. Financial aid, in particular, is likely to convince the Arab leaders who Kushner was wooing to back Trump’s peace plan. There are already reports that four Mideast majors — Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan — are onboard, even without the Palestinians' support.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.