Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt to depart before release of peace plan
- Announcement made amid widespread scepticism over as-yet unseen proposal for resolution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- White House has said plan will not be revealed at least until after Israeli elections this month
The architect of the Trump administration’s delayed Middle East peace plan is leaving the White House in the face of widespread scepticism about the viability of the as-yet unseen proposal and questions about whether the vision for a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will ever be released.
Jason Greenblatt, a long-time lawyer for the Trump Organisation who became the president’s special envoy for international negotiations, announced his departure on Thursday, saying he would return to the private sector in the coming weeks and spend more time with his family in New Jersey.
Greenblatt had worked closely with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, on developing the peace plan.
Despite his title and spending nearly three years in the post, Greenblatt never took part in negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, who cut off ties with the administration after Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Instead, Greenblatt’s role has been to draft the plan, and officials said that has now been finished.
It’s the end of the Administration’s Middle East Tweet Process
The White House says the peace plan will not be released until at least after this month’s Israeli elections. Tentative plans to release the proposal had been scrapped at least twice before. The plan already is facing rejection by the Palestinians, who have accused the administration of losing its credibility as an honest broker by repeatedly siding with Israel.