White House adviser Jared Kushner urges other Arab nations follow UAE’s lead after Israel deal
- Donald Trump’s son-in-law accompanied the Israeli delegation on Monday on what was billed as the first Israeli commercial flight to Abu Dhabi
- Kushner’s tour has continued with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and he is expected to also visit Qatar
After accompanying an Israeli delegation to the UAE for historic normalisation talks, White House adviser Jared Kushner set off on a tour of other Gulf capitals on Tuesday, looking for more Arab support.
Israel and the United Arab Emirates set up a joint committee to cooperate on financial services at the talks in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi. Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, accompanied the Israeli delegation on Monday on what was billed as the first Israeli commercial flight to the influential Gulf monarchy, which agreed in August to normalise relations.
Israel exchanged embassies with neighbours Egypt and Jordan under peace deals decades ago. But until now, all other Arab states had demanded it first cede more land to the Palestinians.
In remarks reported by the UAE state news agency WAM, Kushner suggested other Arab states could follow quickly. Asked when the next would normalise ties with Israel, he was quoted as saying: “Let’s hope it’s months.”
Kushner later flew to Bahrain and then Saudi Arabia and is expected also to visit Qatar.