Kushner: ‘Good question’ if Palestinians are capable of governing

In a television interview, White House adviser Jared Kushner says he’s not sure the Palestinians will be able to rule themselves but deserve “self-determination.”

By World Israel News Staff

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner says that whether the Palestinians can govern themselves without Israeli involvement remains “a very good question.”

Kushner, considered the leading force in drafting the still unpublished Israeli-Palestinian peace plan known as President Donald Trump’s “deal of the century,” made his remarks in a television interview which aired on Sunday on the “Axios on HBO” program.

“The hope,” he said, “is that over time, they can become capable of governing.”

Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, has been stressing the economic benefits of a successful U.S. peace plan.

The Americans are to lead a conference in Bahrain scheduled for later this month that is aimed at laying an economic framework that would ensure Palestinian prosperity.

In the “Axios on HBO” interview, Kushner said that the Palestinian territories must become “investable,” and in order for that to happen, there has to be “a fair judicial system,” as well as freedom of the press, freedom of expression, and tolerance for all religions.

He says that he thinks the Palestinian aspiration for complete independence is a “high bar.”

“If you don’t have a proper government structure and proper security, when people are living in fear of terror, that hurts Palestinians,” argued Kushner. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said repeatedly that the Palestinian entity would have to be demilitarized.

Kushner appeared to be siding with Netanyahu’s position that Israel must maintain ultimate security control in the Palestinian areas.

Currently, despite political tensions, Israeli officials say that there is security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria.

The Palestinians have announced that they are boycotting the Bahrain conference and have spoken out sharply against the “deal of the century.”

Kushner said in the television interview that the Palestinians should have “self-determination” but that term is translated differently by different analysts and falls short of the word “state” which the Palestinian Authority is demanding.