Kushner: Peace between Israel and all 22 Arab states ‘logical’

Trump senior advisor Jared Kushner meets with Saudi and Bahraini monarchs, pushing for normalization with Israel.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

As the Israeli delegation returned to Israel after a historic visit in Abu Dhabi, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner continued his tour of the Gulf.

Kushner visited Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, meeting with the kingdoms’ leaders. Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that Kushner may also visit Qatar in the coming days.

In Saudi Arabia, Kushner met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi-owned news agency SPA reported that the pair “discussed the peace process and its horizons, as well as the need to resume negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis to reach just and lasting peace.”

Saudi Arabia, which officially has no diplomatic relations with Israel, is widely thought to cooperate with the Jewish state on regional security issues.

The Gulf kingdom recently allowed the first commercial direct flight from Israel to the UAE to fly over its airspace, a move Kushner praised as “very gracious.”

Two weeks ago, Prince Faisal, the governor of the Madinah province, released a statement praising the UAE-Israel peace agreement, but stopped short of saying Saudi Arabia had plans to follow.

“Peace must be achieved between the Palestinians and Israelis based on the internationally recognized parameters,” he said. “Once that is achieved, all things are possible.”

King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa of Bahrain also praised the UAE-Israel peace agreement in his meeting with Kushner.

According to the Bahrain News Agency, al-Khalifa “highlighted the United Arab Emirates’ historic and continued efforts to support the interests and causes of Arab and Islamic nations, and their… endeavors to reach a just and comprehensive solution that guarantees the Palestinian people their legitimate rights and lasting peace in the region.”

When asked by the UAE’s state-run news agency WAM about the possibility of additional peace agreements with Arab nations on the horizon, Kushner responded optimistically.

He said all 22 Arab states normalizing relations with Israel was “logical” and the next agreement could happen “within months.”

“Obviously anything could happen, but the reality is that a lot of people are envious of the move that the United Arab Emirates has made. A lot of people want access to the technology, economy and the advancements that Israel has. Israel is like another Silicon Valley for the Middle East,” he said.

“We don’t solve problems by not talking to each other. So, normalizing relations and allowing people-to-people and business exchanges will only make the Middle East stronger and a more stable place,” he added.

BahrainIsrael-Saudi relationsUAE-Israel peace deal