Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and widespread unrest across the Middle East, a growing number of Americans are praising the Trump administration for implementing a foreign policy agenda that prioritized peace and stability in the region.
That group includes a number of frequent critics of President Donald Trump, such as Chamath Palihapitiya, a tech-industry billionaire and self-described Democrat.
During a recent podcast, he acknowledged that “so much of the work that happened in [the Trump] administration turned out to have been right,” going on to criticize members of his own party for letting their disdain for Trump cloud their judgment on issues from Middle East peace to border security.
It takes a lot to admit you’ve been wrong.
Chamath Palihapitiya, @Chamath on the Trump presidency:
"We didn't like the messenger, so we killed the message." pic.twitter.com/PmeS1xNIo6
— Marla Hohner (@marlahohner) October 24, 2023
Now, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is addressing the situation by emphasizing the importance of the Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel and multiple other nations in the region.
Speaking at a conference in Saudi Arabia, Kushner declared that the bilateral agreements that Trump was instrumental in brokering are “more important than ever” given the current state of chaos in the Middle East.
At the same event, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said that the ongoing trend in the region is creating “more jitters in what has already been an anxious world.”
In order to address the uncertainty, Kushner asserted that guaranteeing the protection of Israel against threats from neighboring Arab states is “absolutely crucial” and “non-negotiable.”
While he expressed concern about the security of Palestinians and their “opportunity to live a better life,” the former Trump administration adviser said that it will take more than “just saying ‘let’s create a state,’ it has to be a state that can function and thrive.”
Furthermore, he denounced the anti-Israel sentiment being expressed by pro-Palestine protesters around the world.
Asserting that these messages are “missing the point,” Kushner added: “What they should be doing is protesting the Palestinian leadership. They should be protesting Hamas. They should be saying, ‘Give these people the ability to live a better life.’”
He concluded with some praise for the nation hosting the conference, declaring that positive developments in Saudi Arabia have “changed the trajectory of the Middle East,” thus paving the way for “things like the Abraham Accords to occur.”
