U.S. President Donald Trump’s Special Representative for International Negotiations, Jason Greenblatt had a busy day on Wednesday, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and holding a listening and discussion session with a special delegation of residents from Gaza.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman joined Greenblatt for the meeting with the prime minister, which was devoted to “furthering the discussions on how to achieve the president’s mission of a lasting peace.”
@USAmbIsrael I met with @IsraeliPM @netanyahu today to further our discussions on how to achieve @POTUS mission of a lasting peace. pic.twitter.com/melcRPZ56E
— Jason D. Greenblatt (@jdgreenblatt45) July 12, 2017
The meeting came one day after their meeting in Jerusalem with Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and economic adviser Mohammed Mustafa as well as the entity’s general intelligence chief, Majid Faraj.
A White House statement said the Trump administration “believes that in order to give everyone the best chance to reach an ultimate deal, it is critical to have negotiators that are close with the president and that is why the team includes senior advisers Jared Kushner, Greenblatt and Friedman.”
Gaza residents talked about peace and the economy in their meeting Wednesday with Greenblatt, and how they see their own situation. He met with the delegation in Israel.
In a statement following the meeting, the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem said Greenblatt “underscored President Trump’s commitment to helping Palestinians and Israelis reach a conflict-ending peace agreement that would provide a more prosperous and secure future for both peoples.”
He also “underscored the Trump Administration’s interest in improving the economic environment for the Palestinian business community, including in Gaza,” according to the statement.
The Consulate said the session was devoted in part to listening to the Gazans’ “aspirations for peace,” in addition to hearing their views on “how the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip can be improved.”