Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump, defended American peace for the Middle East before the UN Security Council on Thursday. A project rejected as a whole by the Palestinians and of which he is the architect.

For more than two hours, Jared Kushner presented the project using maps and graphs, showing that the parallel developments of the Israeli settlements and Palestinian aspirations were going to come to a point of no return for the creation of a Palestinian state.

Several countries, including the United Kingdom or Belgium, judged at the end of the meeting that the meeting had been "very interesting". According to a diplomat quoted by AFP, some of the members of the Council present at the meeting were even signed by Jared Kushner the American plan which was given to them in the form of a big book.

"A ton of cracks"

"People want to see new ideas and progress. We have had very constructive discussions with each of the" countries present "and we want to work together with the Council and other countries to achieve progress," he said. entrusted after his meeting during a rare interview with six media, including AFP.

According to Jared Kushner, the recent publication of the plan has caused "a ton of cracks" in the approach of several states. He notably cited the European Union, which "was unable to have a consensus statement" on the plan according to him. He also said that he had seen from the Arab League member countries "neutral statements" or "in support", and "very few negative statements".

The American project adopts a "two-state solution" and proposes to create a capital of a Palestinian state in Abu Dis, a suburb of Jerusalem, while the Palestinians want to make the whole of East Jerusalem the capital of their state .

It also includes an annexation of the Israeli settlements, as well as the Jordan Valley in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, with borders breaking with the lines drawn at the time.

Asked if Israel could be flexible on the issue of East Jerusalem, Jared Kushner replied: "This is a question for both parties. This is what we have come up with for Israel to accept a start of negotiations (...) The only way to know how flexible Israel is ready is for the Palestinians to sit at a table and try to negotiate. "

The US plan "could represent the last chance" for the Palestinians to have a state, also said Jared Kushner, stressing that Israel had accepted this prospect.

"This is why it is important to go ahead with an agreement to recognize" a Palestinian state "in exchange for a freeze" on the settlements, he insisted.

"It is very very difficult to have a contiguous state where you can drive from one end to the other," he also argued, boasting of being "pragmatic". He said that a commission would soon be created with Israel to have a more detailed map of the possibility of having a Palestinian state "without checkpoints in the middle".

Jared Kushner openly criticizes Mahmoud Abbas

Jared Kushner also criticized the president of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas for not having the will to achieve peace. "When we met - I met him personally four times - I never had the impression that he was ready to go into details, either because it is not his thing, or because that he doesn't know what he wants to accomplish, "he said.

A ram car attack in Jerusalem injured ten Israeli soldiers on Thursday and clashes in the West Bank left three dead, violence in the wake of the American peace project that polarizes Israelis and Palestinians.

President Abbas "rejected the plan before he even saw it. I think he was surprised at how good it was for the Palestinian people but he locked himself in a position before it was published and I don't know not why he did it, "added the adviser to the president.

"Palestinian leaders have a long history of paying the families of terrorists, inciting intifadas when they do not get what they want."

"I think the international community is getting more and more tired of this behavior," said Jared Kushner.

Asked about the prospect of a vote at the UN on Tuesday for a Palestinian-inspired draft resolution condemning the US plan, Jared Kushner said he expected "the same boring arguments" as in the past.

"They had better take the lines (of the American plan) one after the other and say which ones they agree with and which ones they reject".

"If you want a state, you have to show that you are ready for a functioning state. People who are ready for a state do not go out and demand 'days of anger' and force their people to violence when 'they don't have what they want'.

With AFP

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