White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell and envoy Jason Greenblatt left Sunday for a Middle East tour that will take them from Gulf states to Israel and the Palestinian territories, a White House official confirmed to CNN on Tuesday.
The trio, which is looking to make inroads on a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, will arrive in Israel on Wednesday night. They will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, the official said.
CNN previously reported that the three officials planned to make a trip to the Middle East this month. Politico first reported the date of the trip.
Trump has asked some of his most trusted advisers to spearhead efforts toward achieving a lasting peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians — an issue the White House has repeatedly said is a top priority for the President.
Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, has worked closely with assistant to the President and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt on the issue but tensions have escalated in recent months despite attempted negotiations.
Both men were part of a US delegation that traveled to the Middle East for meetings with Netanyahu and Abbas in June.
In May, Kushner and Greenblatt both accompanied the President on his visit to Jerusalem and Bethlehem to discuss a peace agreement.
Since then, conversations have been ongoing, a White House official said.
Kushner, the 36-year-old commercial real estate magnate whose marriage to Trump’s eldest daughter has thrust the otherwise inexperienced diplomat into the center of US foreign relations, now wields a hefty foreign affairs portfolio in the Trump administration.
He has compiled a globe-spanning itinerary including North America, the Middle East and China.