Donald Trump believes his son-in-law Jared Kushner could help broker a long-elusive peace in the Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians.
In a wide-ranging talk with reporters at the newspaper Tuesday – parts of which were live-blogged – Trump said Kushner, who is Jewish, likely would not take a formal role in possible peace talks, but he could still be a "player" in the process.
"I would love to be the one who made peace with Israel and the Palestinians, that would be such a great achievement," the president-elect said, according to the Times.
In selecting his 35-year-old son-in-law, Trump would be turning to someone with no experience in government or foreign relations – but who has taken a prominent role in the president-elect's campaign and transition team.
Trump's latest comments are "are another indication that Kushner will be an influential figure in Trump's White House" even without a formal position, The Hill reported.
According to The Hill, Kushner and his father, who established his family's real estate empire, donated tens of thousands of dollars to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobby group in Washington.
Kushner also tried to set up a trip to Israel for Trump last year, though the plan was scrapped after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Trump's plan to ban Muslims from entering the United States, The Hill reported.
Israel's ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, also commented this week Trump was "a true friend of Israel."
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