PALESTINE
Wed 15 Mar 2023 9:57 pm - Jerusalem Time
Kushner reveals: Trump planned to support Gantz to head the Israeli government instead of Netanyahu
A special translation by "Jerusalem" dot com - Jared Kushner , advisor to former US President Donald Trump , and his son-in-law, revealed that the latter was frustrated with then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , and that he considered supporting the leader of the Blue and White Party, Benny Gantz, publicly, to take over the position Prime Minister before the March 2020 elections.
In his book, which will be published in full on the twenty-third of this month - as reported by the Hebrew Walla website - Kushner indicates how bad the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu was at that time, and how enthusiastic the former was about Netanyahu's political opponent, Benny Gantz, after their meeting on the twenty-seventh of September. January 2020, on the eve of presenting a plan to resolve the conflict with the Palestinians.
Kushner indicated that Trump was frustrated by Netanyahu's speech during the presentation ceremony of the "Deal of the Century" at the White House on January 28, 2020, when he announced that he would work to annex the Jordan Valley and settlements in the West Bank, which - according to Kushner - was not something Trump absolutely agrees.
Kushner pointed out that he specifically asked Israel's ambassador to Washington at the time, Ron Dermer, for Netanyahu to deliver a short speech that did not touch on political matters, indicating that what was stated in Netanyahu's speech and style at the time was not appropriate, and it was an election speech to his voters and presented the plan in a distorted way.
And Kushner indicated that he felt uncomfortable with the Arab ambassadors who attended the ceremony to express their support for the Trump plan, when they heard Netanyahu's speech about annexation, indicating that there would be a balanced plan with concessions from both sides, and this is not the deal as described by Netanyahu in his speech.
Kushner says in his book that when the party ended and he returned to the Oval Office, Trump expressed his disappointment and frustration with Netanyahu, and Trump said at the time: "Bibi gave an election speech ... I feel dirty."
Kushner indicated that after the meeting between Trump and Gantz a day before the ceremony, the former US president praised the leader of the Blue and White party, who was competing with Netanyahu at the time, and said that he loved him very much.
Kushner said that shortly before the election in March 2020, Trump called and asked if he should take the unusual step of publicly supporting Benny Gantz's candidacy for prime minister.
A former senior White House official told the Hebrew "Walla" website that Kushner and former US envoy at the time, Avi Berkowitz, advised Trump not to interfere in the Israeli elections and to deal with the outcome, whatever it was.
Trump, in an interview with Walla website reporter Barak Ravid in April 2021, expressed his deep hope in Netanyahu after he showed his disloyalty to him, and congratulated Joe Biden after winning the 2020 elections, and then said Trump about Netanyahu, "Let him go to hell." .
Trump plans to run for the US presidency again in 2024.
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Kushner reveals: Trump planned to support Gantz to head the Israeli government instead of Netanyahu