Jared Kushner has briefed upcoming national security adviser Jake Sullivan about the Trump administration’s policies in the Middle East, David Friedman, the outgoing US ambassador to Israel, told a closed hearing in the Israeli parliament on Monday.
Why it matters: Friedman said Kushner had specifically briefed Sullivan about the Abrahamic Accords process that allowed four Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel, according to lawmakers who attended the hearing. Trump’s advisers hope President-elect Biden will continue that process and encourage other countries, such as Saudi Arabia, to sign up.
Driving the news: The call came about two weeks ago, just days before Kushner traveled to Saudi Arabia for a summit of Gulf leaders. It is unclear whether Kushner brought a message from Sullivan to any of the leaders.
- White House Deputy Avi Berkowitz also briefed a former Obama government official who may be eligible for a job in the Middle East under Biden about the normalization deals, a Trump government official tells me.
- According to Israeli lawmakers attending Monday’s briefing, Friedman said he recently met his Obama-era predecessor Dan Shapiro and informed him about the Trump administration’s work in the Middle East over the past four years. Shapiro made it clear to Friedman at the meeting that he was not part of the Biden transition team.
Behind the scenes: Friedman presented the Knesset’s foreign relations committee with his thoughts on what the Biden government will and should do regarding Israel and the region, lawmakers who attended the briefing say.
- Friedman said Biden is a friend of Israel. He also said he expects the Biden administration to pressure Israel over the issue of West Bank settlements, resume aid to the Palestinian Authority and continue to strengthen Israel’s ties with China, an issue Friedman said should take more seriously. be taken.
Friedman also said Biden would probably try to revive the nuclear deal with Iran.
- He specifically expressed concern about the influence of former Secretary of State John Kerry and former National Security Adviser Susan Rice on Biden’s Iran policy, despite the fact that neither will work on Iran’s portfolio, an Israeli lawmaker said.
- Friedman said Israel should not immediately seek a confrontation with Biden over Iran, but instead ask the Biden administration to enter into dialogue with Israel, the United Arab Emirates and other Arab countries before deciding on the nuclear deal. to give back.
Unsurprisingly, Friedman said Biden shouldn’t roll back Trump’s policies on Jerusalem or Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights. He also claimed that a battle with Israel over settlements would go nowhere.
- Friedman claimed Saudi Arabia would have recognized Israel within a year if Trump won re-election.
- But he did criticize his boss, saying that Trump’s relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had at times been “too hot” and that Biden would be more critical of Turkey.
Go deeper: Netanyahu demands complete control over Israel’s Iranian policies, leading to backlash.