Former White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and his deputy, Avi Berkowitz, have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for their role in negotiating four normalization agreements between Israel and Arab nations known as the “Abraham Accords” .
The pair of former deputies of then-President Donald Trump were appointed by American attorney Alan Dershowitz, who was eligible in his capacity as professor emeritus at Harvard Law School.
Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and Berkowitz, who was the Middle East’s envoy, were key figures in negotiating deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
Announced between mid-August and mid-December, the deals were the most significant diplomatic breakthroughs in the Middle East in 25 years as the region girdles itself for a protracted confrontation with Iran.
Kushner said in a statement that he was honored to be nominated for the award, which will be presented in October.
President Joe Biden’s administration is expected to review all national security deals reached during the Trump administration, including weapons packages for the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
There have been some complaints from lawmakers about the agreement with Morocco because, in order to get Morocco to agree, the United States recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed region of Western Sahara.
Trump left office under a cloud of controversy on Jan. 20, potentially affecting whether the two aides would receive the award.