U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman left for the United States several days ago to discuss President Donald Trump's "deal of the century" for peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The Israel Hayom newspaper reported on Sunday that the discussions are urgent ones that prevented Friedman from attending the conference of the American Jewish Committee in Jerusalem.
It should be noted, however, that Friedman was not scheduled to speak in person at the conference, and from the outset the plan was that his speech would be prerecorded and broadcast to those present.
In the recorded greeting, Friedman said he was in Washington in consultations on the American peace plan.
The U.S. embassy in Israel confirmed that the ambassador flew to the United States for talks and would hold meetings with senior officials in both the White House and the State Department.
There have been a growing number of reports recently that Trump will soon present his peac plan. However, there are differing opinions about it among administration officials. A senior Israeli official told Arutz Sheva three months ago that the Americans are constantly discussing the plan, but are not yet close to unveiling it.
A senior official in Washington admitted recently that the chill between the White House and the PA has affected the peace effort.
PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas has refused to consider the Trump administration an honest broker for negotiations since Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last December.
PA officials have repeatedly rejected the Trump administration’s peace proposal, claiming it was coordinated with Israel.