U.S. envoy arrives in Israel to meet with Russia, U.N. and E.U.
- Barak Ravid, author of Axios from Tel Aviv
US special envoy Jason Greenblatt. Photo: Jaafar Ashtiyeh / AFP / Getty Images
U.S. special envoy for Middle East peace Jason Greenblatt will arrive tomorrow in Israel for meeting with senior diplomats from Russia, the E.U. and the U.N. – who together with the U.S. form the "Quartet". Western diplomats say the meeting is going to deal among other issues with the crisis in the peace process and the Trump administration efforts to draft a peace plan.
Details: Greenblatt will arrive in Israel on the backdrop of the ongoing crisis between the U.S. and the Palestinians which started after President Trump's Jerusalem announcement and a few days after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas gave a belligerent anti-Trump speech.
Western diplomats said that the goal of the Quartet meeting is to further understand where the U.S. is going with regards to the peace process and to try and formulate a joint strategy to de-escalate the current crisis.
A senior White House official said: “Jason Greenblatt will be attending a regular meeting of the Quartet Envoys to exchange information and continue our engagement on advancing peace.”
What to expect: Greenblatt is not going to meet any Palestinian officials during his visit. He will stay in the region until next week and join Vice President Mike Pence on his visit in the region, which will begin on this weekend.