![US Presidential Adviser Jared Kushner speaks near Head of Israel's National Security Council Meir Ben-Shabbat at Abu Dhabi airport following the arrival of the first-ever commercial flight from Israel to the UAE, on 31 August 2020. [KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GettyImages-1228284354.jpg?fit=1199%2C800&ssl=1)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has discussed with US Senior Adviser Jared Kushner the need to resume negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported yesterday.
The two officials also discussed mutual relations and several other issues related to the stability and security of the region.
“They discussed the partnership between the two friendly countries and the importance of strengthening it in all fields, especially in order to achieve security and stability in the region,” SPA said.
“They also discussed the prospects for the peace process in the region, and the need to resume negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides to achieve a just and lasting peace,” the statement added.
Kushner’s meeting with Bin Salman came after his visit to the UAE and Bahrain, where he met senior officials from both Gulf States.
READ: The UAE’s ‘Hope Probe’ offers no hope to the Palestinians
During the visit to Bahrain, Manama refused to follow in the footsteps of the UAE and insisted that it would only normalise ties with Israel when regional power-house, Saudi Arabia, strikes a deal with Tel Aviv.
On 13 August, US President Donald Trump announced a peace deal between the UAE and Israel brokered by Washington.
Abu Dhabi said the deal was an effort to stave off Tel Aviv’s planned annexation of the occupied West Bank, however, opponents believe normalisation efforts have been in the offing for many years as Israeli officials have made official visits to the UAE and attended conferences in the country which had no diplomatic or other ties with the occupation state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu however denied this saying annexation is not off the table, but has simply been delayed.