Jared Kushner in the UAE
Jared Kushner in the UAEWAM/TPS

Jared Kushner, former President Donald Trump's senior advisor and son-in-law, in an op-ed published Monday in the Wall Street Journal expressed hope that the Abraham Accords will usher in a new era, bringing to an end the "last vestiges of what has been known as the Arab-Israeli conflict."

Kushner, who was part of the negotiations which led to normalization between Israel and several key Arab and African nations, observed that "new, friendly relations are flowering."

Since Israel and Dubai normalized relations in August 2020, and with air travel now possible, according to the Israeli Airports Authority Israelis have been flocking to the Gulf emirate. Over 40,000 visited in December alone.

Kushner wrote about the myth that peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors could only take place after a peace deal was reached between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. Kushner noted that "the Abraham Accords exposed the conflict as nothing more than a real-estate dispute between Israelis and Palestinians that need not hold up Israel's relations with the broader Arab world."

Kushner also praised Trump for convincing Muslim-majority countries to tackle extremism. Specifically, he mentioned Saudi Arabia and its work in this area, which he said has made the United States safer and created today's more peaceful world. He also praised the former president's work brokering an end to the dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which shores up a stronger defense against the threat posed by Iran.

On the subject of the Iranian regime, the Biden administration is given credit for building on Trump's Iran policy and "calling Iran's bluff" on new nuclear talks.

Kushner wrote, “While many were troubled by the Biden team’s opening offer to work with Europe and rejoin the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, I saw it as a smart diplomatic move. It revealed to the Europeans that the JCPOA is dead and only a new framework can bring stability for the future.”