Jared Kushner to visit Egypt, KSA, Israel for peace talks

CAIRO – 14 June 2018: President Donald Trump's Middle East peace team, senior adviser Jared Kushner and special envoy Jason Greenblatt are planned to travel to Egypt, Israel and Saudi Arabia next week to discuss peace efforts and the crisis in Gaza, according to the American news website Axios.

The U.S. official told Axios that the trip may include other stops but does not include a meeting with Palestinian officials, as they refused to meet with any of the U.S. officials following Trump's decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.

The Gaza protests peaked on May 14, where at least 61 Palestinians were killed, as tens of thousands of Gazans protested and clashes erupted on the same day of the US Embassy's relocation from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Demonstrations and clashes have continued at a low level since then. At least 121 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the unrest.

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi received a phone call from U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who stressed his country’s keenness to support and boost strategic cooperation with Egypt in light of its pivotal role in preserving the security and stability of the Middle East region.

According to Presidential spokesperson Bassam Radi, Pense commended Egypt’s role in easing the situation in Gaza, in addition to its efforts to achieve the Palestinian reconciliation.

For his part, the Egyptian leader affirmed the depth of the strategic relations between Egypt and the United States, which are considered one of the pillars of stability in the Middle East.

President Sisi expressed that he is looking forward to promoting these relations in a bid to achieve mutual interests, especially restoring security in the region.

Sisi also stressed Egypt’s firm stance toward the Palestinian case and rights of Palestinians, in accordance with principles of the international law.