FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP PEOPLE/JARED KUSHNER: “The man who would bring peace to the Middle East strode onto the stage and peered out at a room full of people who have tried and failed.
Tall and thin, confident and calm, Jared Kushner, rookie negotiator, made his debut in front of the world of veteran diplomatic hagglers on Sunday with a polite, deferential and purposefully bland appearance at a Middle East conference that was designed to pay respect but little more…
But Mr. Kushner’s predecessors and other veterans of the region were not exactly bowled over. Some privately expressed anger, saying that he had insulted them with a substance-free performance, while others offered indulgent assessments noting that at least he had committed no gaffes.
Mr. Kushner’s appearance at the Saban Forum, hosted by the Brookings Institution, came just days before the president is poised to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a move that could disrupt the very peace initiative the White House is drafting between Israel and the Palestinians…
Advisers have said Mr. Trump is poised to sign another waiver delaying the move for six more months but would balance that in a speech on Wednesday [12-6-17] by recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. The consensus among the professionals in the room on Sunday, even those who agree on the substance, was that would be a beginner’s mistake.”
-Peter Baker, “Jared Kushner on Stage: Hearing His Voice, at Last, if Little Else,” The New York Times online, Dec. 3, 2017