The Trump administration has found it increasingly difficult to negotiate a peace accord in the Middle East due to a “disconnect” that has caused Palestinian leaders to view the U.S. as hostile to the cause of peace.
A senior White House official briefed reporters traveling with Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday about the status of negotiations between the U.S., Israel, and Palestine. Neither President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner nor his Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt have met or spoken with Palestinian leaders since Dec. 6, the day before the president officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, according to the official.
“We are here, dedicated and ready to engage whenever they are. We’ll be here when they’re ready,” the official said.
The White House fears, however, that the peace process has stalled because of Palestinians’ reaction to the Jerusalem announcement and their changing view of the Trump administration.
“[It is] unfortunate that the president has so many times reached out to explain how dedicated he is to helping the Palestinian people,” the official said, adding that a “disconnect” exists that the administration isn’t fully committed to fair negotiations.
The official also denied that the president’s decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was meant to serve as a bargaining chip in negotiations.
“The announcement wasn’t to get a concession out of Israel,” the official said. “It was to recognize the reality of Jerusalem as being the capital of Israel both historically and since its founding of the state. This was not a negotiating tactic.”
White House officials have been engaging in talks with high-level individuals in Palestine, but there is currently no plan for Trump and President Mahmoud Abbas to meet in the near future.
“One of the tragic things I have noticed since Dec. 6 is there are so many Palestinians who are reaching out … both in the West Bank and Gaza,” the official said. “They’re under a lot of pressure not to talk.”
Pence is slated to return to Washington on Tuesday, after spending the past week traveling through Israel, Jordan, and Egypt.
