Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Bolton: Netanyahu ‘dubious’ about Kushner leading Mideast peace initiative

“He was enough of a politician not to oppose the idea publicly, but like much of the world, he wondered why [Jared] Kushner thought he would succeed where the likes of [Henry] Kissinger had failed,” wrote former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton in his 592-page tome.

U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton. Credit: Michael Vadon via Flickr.
U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton. Credit: Michael Vadon via Flickr.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed “dubious” about White House senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner leading the Trump administration’s Mideast peace plan, according to former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton in his upcoming book, according to multiple media reports on Thursday.

Netanyahu “was dubious about assigning the task of bringing an end to the Israel-Palestinian conflict to Kushner, whose family Netanyahu had known for many years,” wrote Bolton in his new book The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir.

The book is scheduled to be out on June 23, though the Trump administration has been attempting to block its release.

“He was enough of a politician not to oppose the idea publicly, but like much of the world, he wondered why Kushner thought he would succeed where the likes of [Henry] Kissinger had failed,” wrote Bolton, who served as National Security Advisor from 2018 to 2019, in the 592-page tome.

Netanyahu’s office denied Bolton’s assertions, saying that the prime minister “has complete faith in Jared Kushner’s abilities, and resolve and rejects any description to the contrary. Kushner has greatly contributed to furthering peace in the Middle East.”

The Trump administration’s “Peace to Prosperity” Mideast plan was announced earlier to this year and accepted by the Israelis, but rejected by the Palestinians.

An American Jewish Committee spokesman told JNS that the group is “grateful for the severity with which the Justice Department is handling this case.”
NYPD said the investigation into the death of Albert Itzkowitz, 75, a former Hatzolah volunteer and kosher bakery owner, remains ongoing and that no arrests have been made.
“At a time when Jewish Americans are facing a deeply troubling rise in violence and harassment, it is critical to recognize organizations that have spent generations standing up to hate and defending the truth,” Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. said.
Rabbi Jason Rosner, of Congregation B’nai Emet, told JNS that “we are prepared to evacuate our Torahs if necessary.”
The PAC’s co-chairs stated that Ammar Campa-Najjar is “the only candidate campaigning on a progressive agenda in this race.”
“This settlement reaffirms a basic principle, which is that American law cannot tolerate taxpayer dollars flowing to a system that rewards terrorism,” Mark Goldfeder, CEO and director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, told JNS.