Trump to Appoint Jared Kushner as Peace Ambassador

ArmInfo. While hosting the first meeting of the Peace Council, the US President announced that the US would allocate $10 billion for the reconstruction of Gaza. He intends to appoint his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as a special peace envoy. He announced this at a "Peace Council" attended by more than a dozen world leaders.

Trump praised the efforts of his new organization to stabilize and reconstruct Gaza, including the US pledge of $10 billion, although the details of how these funds will be used remain unclear.

Trump stated that Kushner will focus on brokering new diplomatic agreements and praised his previous role in Middle East negotiations, including the Abraham Accords. "He's a very smart guy. We're making Jared an envoy of peace as well. They're both envoys of peace. "I watch these guys and say, 'At least we're protected from an IQ standpoint,'" Trump said of Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who is already a special envoy.

Kushner, who served as a senior adviser in Trump's first White House, played a key role in the administration's efforts to normalize relations between Israel and several Arab states. Kushner and Witkoff worked together throughout the second Trump administration on Middle East negotiations and the war between Russia and Ukraine.

"We can't change the past, but I think what you're seeing today is that we can potentially change the future if we focus and do it right," Kushner said, arguing that the council's private-sector-driven approach was an attempt to unite long-warring countries in the region and around the world in search of solutions.

"If Jews and Muslims work together, Israelis and Palestinians, with Americans, British, Bulgarians, and people from all over the world, then we can unite for a common goal—peace and unity."

However, there were no Palestinian representatives at Thursday's meeting. During his 46-minute opening remarks, Trump announced that his Council had received $7 billion in funding from member countries to finance the reconstruction of Gaza. He later stated that the US would allocate approximately $10 billion to this initiative—a "small number" compared to the costs of endless war—but gave no indication whether Congress had approved the new appropriation or where the money would come from.

The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the source of the funding. The emphasis on peace comes amid rising tensions around Iran and the growing likelihood of new US attacks against Tehran. Trump said he hoped Iran would reach a deal to curb its nuclear program, which he said was destroyed by American strikes just months ago. But he left the prospect of war open after shifting massive military resources to the Persian Gulf in preparation for a possible attack. "We may have to go further, and we may not," Trump said. "You'll probably find out in the next 10 days."