As Jason Greenblatt bows out, is it curtains for Trump’s deal?
But this time, the news was more dramatic. Jason Greenblatt, one of the drafters of the plan, had decided to leave. Greenblatt will stay on in his role until the plan is made public (whenever that is), but he won’t take part in any possible renewal of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
This raises more questions than it answers. Greenblatt, who visited the Middle East dozens of times over the last three years, and met with key leaders in an attempt to reach a regional settlement that includes normalization and recognition of Israel’s existence by the Arab states, won’t be around to realize his vision.
In turn, that fact raises questions about the plan itself. Does the Trump administration intend to release the proposal? Or has that window closed? Why did Greenblatt choose this particular time to leave?
The former lawyer for the Trump Organization underwent an interesting process over his years in the role, whose official title was assistant to the president and special representative for international negotiations. In the beginning, his public posture was very balanced, almost completely neutral. Everyone knew that he was Jewish, Orthodox, and pro-Israel, but he approached the subject of peace with an open mind and tried to gain the Palestinians’ trust.
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