U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner met on Wednesday with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman about Israel and the Palestinian Authority, as Kushner readies the administration's Middle East peace plan.
At the meeting, also attended by U.S. Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, they discussed strengthening ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia and providing humanitarian relief to Gaza, according to a statement from the White House.
Kushner held a similar meeting on Tuesday with Jordan's King Abdullah.
Kushner and Greenblatt have said the plan they are drawing up for building peace between Israel and the Palestinians is nearly complete.
The potential for peace was thrown into doubt after Trump's decision last year to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the U.S. Embassy in Israel there prompted the Palestinian Authority to announce it will no longer accept the U.S. as a peace broker in the Middle East, citing Washington's "gross bias" toward Israel.
The long-awaited U.S. peace plan is not expected to be unveiled before August, following several postponements. In the meantime, the envoys are reportedly trying to raise up to $1 billion from Gulf countries for economic projects in Gaza and will bring up the idea in meetings this week.
While it remains unclear what the peace plan may entail, Abbas aides, relying on Saudi information, said they suspect the aim is to get Palestinians to settle for a "mini-state" in Gaza and parts of the West Bank, with a foothold in Jerusalem.
This would fall far short of long-standing Palestinian demands for a state in the entire West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem.
