Kushner's Middle East plan could be shifting toward a one-sided result

Israel's new elections could alter Jared Kushner's Middle East peace plan, The New York Times reports.

President Trump will reportedly make a significant effort to help Benjamin Netanyahu retain his post as Israel's prime minister after he was unsuccessful in forging a coalition government by Wednesday's deadline. That failure triggered the country's second national election of 2019, which is set for September 17. But, the Times reports, if Trump is to fully support Netanyhau, his son-in-law Jared Kushner will likely have to tilt his secretive peace plan more heavily in Israel's favor, isolating Palestinians in the process.

Kushner has now suggested that the plan will not call for a creation of a Palestinian state, which the Times reports has long been America's policy goal for the Israel-Palestine conflict.

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While Trump and Netanyahu enjoy a strong relationship, that is not necessarily the reason Kushner's plan could shift. Instead, the 2020 U.S. presidential election also factors into play. The Trump administration does not intend to reveal the political portion of their plan until after Israel's elections in September — and, subsequently, the formation of a new government in October. That's a bit too close to the first primaries of the 2020 election in November for the White House's comfort, the Times reports. To avoid alienating evangelicals and influential pro-Israel donors stateside, then, it is unlikely the administration will present a plan that would put Israel or Netanyahu in an uncomfortable situation, the Times reports. Read more at The New York Times.