U.S. President Donald Trump's top Middle East advisers are scheduled to visit Israel next week as part of a regional tour, a U.S. National Security Council spokesperson told Israel Hayom Tuesday.
Senior presidential advisor Jared Kushner and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt are expected to travel to Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia next week "to discuss the situation in Gaza and to discuss the next stages of the peace effort, as well as get some ideas from players in the region about some remaining questions the White House peace team has. The trip may include other stops as well," he said.
Earlier this week, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman was called to Washington to help the Trump administration prepare to present its forthcoming Middle East peace plan.
Last month, a senior Palestinian Authority official speculated that Trump would introduce "an unconventional peace plan" based on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which will focus on upgrading Israel's relations with Arabs states rather than on reaching an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
Upon entering the White House last year, Trump vowed to broker "the ultimate peace deal" between Israelis and Palestinians, but the prospect of a deal seems unlikely in the region's current climate.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has rejected the U.S. as a peace broker in the wake of Trump's Dec. 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying the move proved the U.S. was "grossly biased" toward Israel.
