Jared Kushner expresses doubt that Palestinians can self-govern

White House adviser makes remark during
rare television interview

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He replied: “That’s a very good question. That’s one that we’ll
have to see. The hope is that they, over time, will become capable
of governing.”

Speaking to HBO, the son-in-law of Donald Trump refused to be
drawn on whether the White House plan would include a two-state
solution. 

Referring to the Palestinians, he said it would be a “high bar”
for them to expect freedom from Israeli military and government
interference. But he added: “I do think they should have
self-determination. I’m going to leave the details until we come
out with the actual plan.”

He added that the Palestinians “need to have a fair judicial
system … freedom of press, freedom of expression, tolerance for
all religions” before their territories can become
“investable”.

Asked whether he understood why the Palestinians might not trust
him, Kushner said: “I’m not here to be trusted” and added that he
believed the Palestinian people would judge the plan based on
whether “they think this will allow them to have a pathway to a
better life or not”.

Bloomberg points out that Kushner is
“notoriously press-averse” and that the interview “represents some
of his most extensive public remarks since joining his
father-in-law’s administration”.

During it, he was also asked repeatedly whether the “birtherism”
conspiracy that former president Barack Obama was born in Africa,
in which Trump played a leading role, was racist. 

Kushner avoided answering directly, saying: “I wasn’t involved
in that.” But he added that the Democrats’ claim that Trump is a
racist does a “disservice” to people who experience “real racism”.
New York magazine commented that Kushner’s
“defence unwound with great speed”.