The Palestinian Authority’s chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, had a contentious final meeting with President Donald Trump’s senior advisor and son-in-law, Jared Kushner in the days leading up to Trump’s announcement recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.Speaking at the Doha Forum in Qatar, Erekat revealed details from the final meeting between himself and Kushner last year, before Trump announced plans to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, leading to a Palestinian Authority boycott of White House officials.
According to a report Sunday by BuzzFeed News, a partner of the Doha Forum, Erekat described the meeting with Kushner, during which the president’s advisor revealed that the US was planning on moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The meeting – the 37th between Trump officials and Palestinian Authority representatives - took place on November 30th 2017, just six days before President Trump’s historic recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Erekat claimed that during their conversation, he pressed Kushner to give assurances that Trump would renew the six-month security waiver enabling him to delay implementation of the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act.
“Jared, the president is supposed to sign the waiver not to move the embassy,” Erekat said at the Doha Forum, recalling his November 2017 meeting with Kushner.
“He said ‘we’re not going to sign.’”
Expressing shock at the revelation that the White House intended to keep President Trump’s campaign promise of recognizing Jerusalem, Erekat said the conversation deteriorated into shouting and threats.
“What do you mean we’re not going to sign? The president promised us in the White House that he would not take any step that may preempt or pre-judge Jerusalem, not before negotiations,” Erekat responded.
Kushner retorted that the decision was “our business”, and that the US “will conduct our policies according to our interests.”
When Erekat warned that such a move would disqualify the administration from “any role in the peace process,” Kushner shot back, saying “Don’t threaten me.”
“Read my lips,” Erekat responded. “You will have disqualified yourself from any role in the peace process.”
Kushner argued that the PA was oblivious to the changes in the Arab world, including the warming of relations between many Arab states and Israel.
“I told him, ‘the best thing for me is to be a student — so teach me.’”
At that point Kushner shouted at Erekat “Don’t be sarcastic,” Erekat claimed. “This is our business, our policies.”
“If you do this, you will bring Israelis and Palestinians to brink of disaster,” Erekat warned at the end of the meeting.
The Kushner-Erekat meeting came was the last official gathering of high level American and PA leaders prior to the boycott imposed by PA chief Mahmoud Abbas following Trump’s Jerusalem announcement on December 6th.
Days before the meeting, Abbas reportedly refused to speak with Kushner, following threats by the administration to shutter the Palestine Liberation Organization mission in Washington DC if the PA refuses to join in negotiations with Israel.
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