Jared Kushner hopes to 'eliminate borders' in the Middle East

President Trump once praised Israel's border wall system as an example for the United States' own security, but his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, said that his Middle East peace plan would ultimately eliminate dividing lines in the entire Middle East region.

Kushner is currently on a five-nation tour of the Middle East — though he won't be making an appearance in Israel or Palestine, the focal point of the plan — in order to secure regional support for the Trump administration's plan.

In an interview with Sky News, Kushner said that the goal of the political component of the plan, which is still under wraps, is "really about establishing borders," before quickly qualifying that statement with "the goal of resolving these borders is really to eliminate them" because a border-free region would allow for the free flow of goods and lead to more "opportunity." Kushner said the economic effect would be felt throughout the Middle East, including Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt.

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Kushner also told Sky News that he hopes to see Palestinians — currently physically split between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip — "unified under one leadership and come together." Trump reportedly supports his son-in-law's free movement plan.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.