Trump aide Kushner meets Israeli leader Netanyahu

US President Donald Trump’s senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner met Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday for talks on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Kushner, accompanied by Trump’s Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, is expected to also meet Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas later the same day in the West Bank before flying out.

“This is an opportunity to pursue our common goals of security, prosperity and peace,” Netanyahu told Kushner in a short video released by the premier’s office.

“I welcome you here in that spirit. I know of your efforts, the president’s efforts, and I look forward to working with you.”

Greenblatt and Kushner are attempting to broker a deal to restart Israeli-Palestinians negotiations, frozen since US-led talks collapsed in 2014.

Both men accompanied Trump in May on his first visit as president to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

A White House official said this week that Trump “strongly believes that peace is possible,” and working towards that goal is a “top priority”.

Greenblatt and Kushner aim to build confidence between the two sides and expected to visit multiple times in coming months as they search for a “historic peace agreement”, the official said.