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Summary:
President Trump's advisor, Jared Kushner, finally met with the Saudi king and crown prince since the murder of Jamal Khasoggi back in October 2018. For this meeting Kushner's intentions were to explain his plan for peace between Israel and Palestine. Although it is said that Prince Muhammed ordered the killing of Jamal Khasoggi, Kushner and Prince Muhammad still have a strong relationship. At the meeting Kushner was there to ask Saudi Arabia for support with the administration peace plan. The Trump administration states that Saudi Arabia is an important ally and that it helps boost America's economy.
However, Kushner describes his plan as "very detailed, very in depth" and believes that it would "allow people to put the conflicts of the past behind them and to move forward and look forward to a really prosperous and exciting future." Analysts state that the plan involves investing $25 billion dollars in the West Bank and Gaza as well as tens of billion dollars in the region.
Reaction:
After reading the articles I think Kushner has the right idea about ending the strained tension between Israel and Palestine. However, the fact that the Trump administration and Kushner have stood by Prince Mohammed after he ordered the killing of Khashoggi has me a bit questionable about Kushner's actual intentions. In my opinion standing by a man who was behind a murder does not seem like the right approach to achieve a goal. But I do believe that the strained relation between Israel and Palestine does need to end because it has been going on for many years. I understand that finding an agreement that will suit both countries is very hard but if Kushner has a plan, both sides should try and listen to him. I think that the faster an agreement can be established the less tension there will be between countries.
Connection:
After a hundred years of off and on fighting, Israel and Palestine are still not at peace. Both countries have been fighting over the Gaza for decades which is known as the Arab-Israeli conflict. Because of this, the US is stepping in and is trying to find a way to end the tension between these two countries by creating a administration peace plan. There have been many attempts to try and end the fight between Israel and Palestine such as the UN Security Council Resolution 242 in 1967, Camp David Accords in 1978, Washington in 2010, etc. Both countries claim East Jerusalem as theirs which is the cause of this conflict. As we are learning about the Ara-Israeli Conflict in class right now, the meeting between Kushner and Mohammed Bin Salman just recently happened and they are trying to find a solution to end this fight.
Questions:
1. Should the US still have a close relationship with the Saudi crown prince even though he ordered the killing of Khashoggi?
2. Was the meeting between Kushner and Muhammad bin Salman affective? Will it change the relationship between the countries?
3. Do you think the Saudis will support the administration peace plan why or why not? If so what do you think the peace plan would look like?
Additional sources
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Prince Mohammed Bin Salman next to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump back in 2017
During the meeting it is said that Kushner, King Salman, and Prince Mohammed discussed peace efforts and American-Saudi cooperation with plans to improve conditions in the regions by investments. King Salman declared that his country "permanently stands by Palestine and it's people's right to an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital." East Jerusalem is the main conflict between Israel and Palestine and for now Kushner does not know how his plan can solve this situation.
Kushner and Saudi Prince at the meeting
Reaction:
After reading the articles I think Kushner has the right idea about ending the strained tension between Israel and Palestine. However, the fact that the Trump administration and Kushner have stood by Prince Mohammed after he ordered the killing of Khashoggi has me a bit questionable about Kushner's actual intentions. In my opinion standing by a man who was behind a murder does not seem like the right approach to achieve a goal. But I do believe that the strained relation between Israel and Palestine does need to end because it has been going on for many years. I understand that finding an agreement that will suit both countries is very hard but if Kushner has a plan, both sides should try and listen to him. I think that the faster an agreement can be established the less tension there will be between countries.
Connection:
After a hundred years of off and on fighting, Israel and Palestine are still not at peace. Both countries have been fighting over the Gaza for decades which is known as the Arab-Israeli conflict. Because of this, the US is stepping in and is trying to find a way to end the tension between these two countries by creating a administration peace plan. There have been many attempts to try and end the fight between Israel and Palestine such as the UN Security Council Resolution 242 in 1967, Camp David Accords in 1978, Washington in 2010, etc. Both countries claim East Jerusalem as theirs which is the cause of this conflict. As we are learning about the Ara-Israeli Conflict in class right now, the meeting between Kushner and Mohammed Bin Salman just recently happened and they are trying to find a solution to end this fight.
Questions:
1. Should the US still have a close relationship with the Saudi crown prince even though he ordered the killing of Khashoggi?
2. Was the meeting between Kushner and Muhammad bin Salman affective? Will it change the relationship between the countries?
3. Do you think the Saudis will support the administration peace plan why or why not? If so what do you think the peace plan would look like?
Additional sources
source 1
source 2
It is well known that the Israeli-Arab conflict is a very hot topic and peace talks have been instigated by the US for a long time from President Carter to President Bush. I agree that it is somewhat shady that the US is sticking by Prince Mohammad after he ordered the killing of Khashoggi but I feel that the US doesn’t really have a choice. For peace to be made all countries in the Middle East have to be willing to make peace and I feel that Saudi Arabia will play a big role in that process. The meeting instigated by Kushner may have not made a lot of progress but it is a good first step. For progress to be made there has to be communication which I am glad Kushner is doing some of. Muhammad bin Salman has actually been having a much warmer tone towards Israel so I feel that there is a lot of promise in the peace process. (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/03/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-mohammed-bin-salman-israel.html) I feel that if more talks are to occur the Saudi’s might be more drawn to a peace plan. At the moment it is hard to truly understand what the peace plan will actually look like. My best guess for what the peace plan will be will be two independent countries with Jerusalem being a shared city or even a shared capital.
ReplyDeleteAs this is very relevant to what we are learning, peace is still wanted by many involved in the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Although yes, the US is backing Prince Mohammad who was behind the killing of Khashoggi, the tensions are so deep rooted that everyone is doing what is necessary to resolve this issue. This also isn't necessarily the US' battle to fight- yes they should help in essential ways, but it is up to the Israelis and Palestinians because they are the ones that have been experiencing the strained relations between people for a long time in history. We can offer help, but it is up to them to compromise and resolve their problems. However, that does start with small steps, such as meetings among leaders, before anything big can even be realistically imagined. This, so far, is a step in the right direction towards peace for Israelis and Palestinians.
ReplyDeleteI think that both Prince Muhammed of Saudi Arabia, suspected for supporting and ordering Khashoggi's murder, and Jared Kushner are not the most honest and upstanding people on the planet. I think that Kushner's new plan that he believes will "allow people to put the conflicts of the past behind them and to move forward and look forward to a really prosperous and exciting future" is an overstatement. There have been numerous other resolution plans that we have studied in class, and people have thought that they will be the solution to all problems in the Middle East, but all of those have not worked out. I think that after years of negotiating for a solution, there will not be a solution instantly. But, we as humans need to work together to ultimately compromise and find a solution. As Daniel from "Promises" said, "There is no winner to war." Thousands of people have died so far, and no solution is even on the horizon. Clearly nothing has been working, and I think that more countries may need to take the step that Egypt did when it signed a peace treaty with Israel and recognized it. I think that is an important step that countries should take whenever they want peace. Saudi Arabia should recognize Israel, as I think that may improve relations and set a path to peace.
ReplyDeleteSources: https://www.vox.com/2014/7/14/5898581/chart-israel-palestine-conflict-deaths
https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/Why-doesnt-the-Muslim-world-recognize-Israel
The face-to-face meeting between Kushner and Prince Mohammad doesn't make other people feel because a very powerful figure in the U.S is negotiating and making plans with another very powerful figure of Saudi Arabia who also ordered the killing of Khashoggi. I do not think the U.S should be involved with Saudi Arabia after what they're Prince did. I obviously think the Arab- Israeli conflict should be solved, but through a different country and source. Kushner and the Trump department shouldn't allow that type of behavior of Prince Mohammad and shouldn't encourage it. Kushner and the Prince meeting and talking shows others that it's ok to allow murderers to be this high in power and can help their country. Overall, the Arab- Israeli conflict should be solved/helped through a different country to promote better relations for countries.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think that the US should have a close relationship with the crown prince because although he has had questionable actions in the past, it is still good to maintain a good relationship. US has the intention to help end the Arab-Israeli conflict and we should understand that this may be one way to help find a solution, and that the US has to go to far extents to even working with someone with a controversial act behind them. I think the meeting between Kushner and Muhammad bin Salman helped make the two countries become closer, and in the long run may be affective, but may not create a final resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Saudis may be supportive of the peace plans because of their continued involvement and assistance with finding a way to end the conflict once and for all. (https://www.mepc.org/journal/saudi-arabia-and-arab-israeli-peace-process)
ReplyDeleteI respect your opinion that the US should keep a close relationship with the crown prince, however I do wonder, if the US makes one wrong move would the crown prince have them murdered as well? Of course we do not know if the prince ordered the killing of Khashoggi, but even if he didn't I do not know if he is a man one can trust. But I agree that the US needs to maintain a good relationship with him so they can have him on their side. I also agree that the meeting was affecting and that it did bring both countries closer together. However like Layla said, it definitely did not create a final resoultion to help end the Arab-Israeli Conflict.
DeleteThe fact that the king of Saudi Arabia ordered the killing of a human being is extremely disturbing, however the U.S and Trump must do whats best for their foreign policy. One of Trumps goals that he has made clear is to try and solve this on going conflict. Countless lives have been lost and if it means the U.S has to deal with one murderer to solve it then its a small price to pay for it would save thousands of lives. The Saudi's should accept this plan because they've stated that they support a palestinian state with East Jerusalem as the capital. The plan would give tons of money to the West bank and The Gaza Strip two nations that the Saudi's support. The money will provide the people living there better living conditions, and will boost they're moral. I have no idea whether or not that the meetings will be effective or not, but its a good thing that it's happening. Cooperation is always effective to clear things up and hopefully solve for peace. I believe if countries continue to communicate and comprise on policy then there can be peace. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/kushner-meets-mohammed-bin-salman-erdogan-push-mideast-plan-n977521
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that the US should continue its close relationship with Saudi Arabia, though I understand that it would be difficult to make such a drastic political shift. It would be ignorant to assume that essentially seven decades of political alliance (according to https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-saudi-arabia-relations) would easily and quickly be abolished; however, I think it would also be ignorant for the US not to reconsider the basis of the relationship. The US’s relationship with Saudi Arabia is built upon the exchange of oil and weaponry (http://time.com/5428669/saudi-arabia-military-relationship/), which, as an American, concerns me. I don’t pretend to be a foreign policy expert, and I definitely don’t have the experience or knowledge necessary to decide what course of action is ultimately best for our country and the world, but a connection built upon conflict and violence does not morally sit well with me. The US sells munitions to Saudi Arabia which (according to the above Time article) are used for Saudi operations in Yemen; Yemen is in a state of emergency, and the US is an enabler. President Trump believes that the Saudi-US relationship, and thus the continued sale of weapons, is admissible because it helps creates jobs for Americans. Yes-- the state of the American economy is important. It doesn’t seem ethical, though, to have close political ties to a country when they are simply for profit and are (however indirectly) resulting in death and destruction. To be fair, ethics haven’t historically been very important to politics and politicians.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that it is a smart idea for the US and Saudi Arabia to maintain close relations with the potential idea that the crown prince ordered the killing of an innocent American journalist; however, I understand the importance of remaining on good terms. Like Simone mentioned, the basis of trade between the two respective countries is based on ammunition and fuel. These trade deals are beneficial to both economies and should not be discarded. In terms of the meeting, I applaud both officials for agreeing to have a discussion about potential plans for the future - a gesture absent in the ongoing Israeli Palestine conflict. I believe that progress is catalyzed through discussions and having these meeting can potentially lead to progress in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think that the significant economical benefit that good relations with Saudi provides the U.S. is invaluable, but the challenging thing is determining who this Saudi prince really is and how much more danger there is for the US to maintain close relations with him. With Kushner not giving a detailed description of what his plan is in this article there's no way to determine its reasonableness. As many others who responded to this article have mentioned: Almost all peace plans that other nations tried to make between Palestine and Israel never resulted in actual peace and were very idealistic indeed. I am also deeply concerned as to where Kushner actually expects the money to support his two-state solution to come from. In the article they say he mentions Saudi being a source of some this money, but I can't help but doubt that because Saudi is strongly opposed to anything but a purely Palestinian state, in addition to many of the other surrounding nations who don't totally agree with two-state solution or do not want to see on happen.
ReplyDelete