Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara today on the most recent leg of a Middle East tour to promote his upcoming Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative. Erdogan’s own son-in-law, Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, was reportedly present at the meeting, which ran for two hours and was closed to the press.
Why it matters: Erdogan has styled himself as a champion of Palestinian rights, calling Jerusalem “a red line” and accusing Israel of genocide. Kushner ought to be something of a nemesis, since he is widely believed to have pushed Trump’s decision to relocate the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel’s ambassador to Ankara was expelled soon after when more than 60 Palestinians were killed in ensuing protests.
