Becoming A Negotiator For Israel-Arab Relations, Trump's Son-in-law Jared Kushner Is Nominated For The Nobel Peace Prize

Former White House senior adviser and son-in-law of Donald Trump, Jared Kushner (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Former senior adviser to the White House, Jared Kushner and his deputy, Avi Berkowitz, have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The nominations were awarded for their role in negotiating four normalization agreements between Israel and Arab countries known as the "Abrahamic Treaty".

Citing Reuters, Monday, February 1, 2021, who nominated the former deputy spouse for former United States president Donald Trump is lawyer Alan Dershowitz. He is qualified to do so in his capacity as professor emeritus at Harvard Law School.

Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law, and Berkowitz, who is a Middle East envoy, were key figures in negotiating deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

The agreement was announced in a four-month span between mid-August and mid-December 2020. The deal represents the Middle East's most significant diplomatic breakthrough in 25 years as the region prepares for a prolonged confrontation with Iran.

Kushner said in a statement he was honored to be nominated for the award, which will be awarded in October 2021.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's Administration is expected to review all national security deals reached during the Trump administration. This includes arms sales to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The UAE and Bahrain became the first Arab countries in a quarter century to break the taboo, namely, to establish relations with Israel. The UAE and Bahrain have the same reason for the goal of normalizing relations with Israel, namely they both want to fight Iran.

At that time, Trump, who hosted the signing ceremony with Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu, signed an agreement with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani.

Trump believed that other Gulf Arab countries would soon normalize relations with Israel. Trump was confident that the next country would be Saudi Arabia. He believes Saudi Arabia reached an agreement with Israel "at the right time."

Meanwhile, there have been several complaints from lawmakers about the US deal with Morocco. The US recognizes Morocco's sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara. Such admission means the abandonment of local residents' longstanding statements of independence. They called the Moroccan government unfair and often carried out acts of violence.

"Another HISTORY breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends, Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco, have agreed to full diplomatic relations, a major breakthrough for peace in the Middle East!" Trump said via his Twitter account at the time.

Trump leaves office on January 20 under a cloud of controversy, potentially influencing whether Kushner will be awarded the Nobel Prize.