Trump aide Greenblatt heads to Israel after Jerusalem announcement

President Donald Trump’s US Middle East peace negotiator Jason Greenblatt will return to Israel next week for talks related to the peace efforts, a senior administration official said on Friday.

The trip is Greenblatt’s first to the region since Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which created an international uproar. Greenblatt, along with Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner is allegedly working on a new peace plan.

Greenblatt, whose title is special representative for international negotiations, will meet with Fernando Gentilini, the European Union’s special representative to the Middle East and stay for US Vice President Mike Pence’s trip to Israel later in the week, the official said.

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Trump’s announcement, reversing decades of US policy which treated Jerusalem’s status as a matter for Israeli-Palestinian negotiation, stirred anger across the Arab and Muslim world and concern among Washington’s European allies.

Tension has risen across the Palestinian territories since US President Donald Trump’s decision to officially recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory, and say the status of the city should be left to be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks.

While the international community has almost unanimously disagreed with Donald Trump’s announcement, reports suggest that the announcement was done with the pre-agreement of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, with the Saudi Arabia going as far as, allegedly, stating to the Palestinian President to accept a village on the outskirts of Jerusalem as the alternative Palestinian capital.

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