False covenant of ‘peace and security’: Berkowitz meets Netanyahu over potential Trump peace plan roll out

The president’s special representative for international negotiations is also expected to see Benny Gantz, leader of the Blue and White Party, before returning to Washington.

By OMRI NAHMIAS   JANUARY 7, 2020 Jerusalem Post

Avi Berkowitz, assistant to US President Donald Trump and special representative for international negotiations, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister’s Residence on Monday to discuss the Trump administration’s peace plan, The Jerusalem Post has confirmed. Attending the meeting was also US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

It was not immediately clear how long the meeting lasted and what was specifically discussed.

The visit has marked Berkowitz’s first trip to Israel since he formally succeeded Jason Greenblatt in November. It comes amid speculations that the US administration might release its peace plan even before Israel’s upcoming elections in March.

The US peace team originally planned to roll out the political part of the plan last summer, but decided to wait until a new government in Israel was sworn in. Since then, Israel has been experiencing an unprecedented political deadlock, and now faces a third round of elections.

The peace team is, therefore, facing a decision between two difficult choices. The first is releasing the plan despite the political stalemate in Israel, which could hurt the prospects of its success. The second is to wait until Israel elections in March, which could result in a deadlock yet again. In that case, it might be too late to release the plan so close to the US presidential elections in November.

While it has not been publicly announced yet, Berkowitz is also expected to meet with Benny Gantz, leader of the Blue and White Party, before returning to Washington.

In his recent visit to the region in October, together with senior adviser Jared Kushner, the two met with both Netanyahu and with Gantz.