Jared Kushner, senior advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, said in an interview published on Tuesday that he believes that it is possible all 22 Arab states will make peace with Israel, and that a fourth Arab country could normalize relations with Israel within “months.”
On Aug. 13, the White House announced that Israel and the UAE had agreed to normalize relations, making the UAE the third Arab country after Egypt and Jordan to officially recognize the Jewish state.
Speaking to the United Arab Emirates’ state-run news agency WAM, Kushner said, “Obviously anything could happen, but the reality is that a lot of people are envious of the move that the United Arab Emirates has made.”
“A lot of people want access to the technology, economy and the advancements that Israel has. Israel is like another Silicon Valley for the Middle East,” he added.
Kushner also said that many Muslims are excited to be able to pray at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.
“We don’t solve problems by not talking to each other. So, normalizing relations and allowing people-to-people and business exchanges will only make the Middle East stronger and a more stable place,” he said.
Asked by WAM about the possibility of peace with 22 Arab states, Kushner said, “I believe that it is logical for them to do it and I believe it is the right thing to do over time.”
“I think thanks to the UAE leadership there will be a much bigger coalition. [There will be] what I call ‘a vocal majority’ that will be in favor of normalizing. I think the vocal minority who have been against it will be more and more isolated in the region,” he said.
Regarding Israel’s plans to extend sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria, Kushner said this would take place “in the future,” but not “in the near future.”
“Right now, the focus is on this relationship [UAE and Israel] and the [Israeli] relationship potentially with other countries, that is very important to Israel and the region,” he said, according to the report.