President-elect says his son-in-law ‘knows the region, knows the people,’ but the reality appears to be somewhat different

Donald Trump’s proposed new point man on the Middle East peace process, his 36-year-old son-in-law Jared Kushner, is almost unknown to Israeli business and political figures and an even greater mystery to Palestinians, as well as a diplomatic neophyte.

Trump’s insistence on pushing the untried Kushner into such an important and difficult role comes at a historic low point in the moribund peace process.

Trump has claimed in interviews that Kushner could succeed where other more experienced peace negotiators have failed. He has said Kushner, the husband of Ivanka Trump and an Orthodox Jew who is the grandson of Holocaust survivors, “knows the region, knows the people, knows the players”.

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But the reality appears to be somewhat different. It has emerged that the only previous encounter Kushner – who was raised in a family that owes its wealth to real estate speculation – has had with Israel’s prime minister was when he was a child and Benjamin Netanyahu visited his father.

Indeed, Kushner’s only other significant contact with a senior Israeli politician before last year appears to have been with the mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat. Kushner does, however, appear to be familiar with wealthy rightwing US Jewish figures who back Israel.

Kushner’s views on the issue are believed to be reflected in his contribution to a speech Trump delivered to a pro-Israel lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, in the spring. It included a promise to challenge Iran and to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Despite Trump’s enthusiasm for Kushner, he will have to navigate a US anti-nepotism law that states a public official “may not appoint, employ, promote, advance, or advocate for appointment … any individual who is a relative of the public official”.

Amid a highly uncharacteristic silence from senior Israeli political figures over Trump’s repeated insistence that Kushner will be at the helm of US Middle East policy, Trump himself appears to have struggled in recent interviews to explain why he thinks Kushner is qualified for the job, besides the fact he likes him.

“You know what? Jared is such a good lad, he will secure an Israel deal which no one else has managed to get,” Trump told the German magazine Bild on Monday. “You know, he’s a natural talent, he is the top, he is a natural talent. You know what I’m talking about – a natural talent. He has an innate ability to make deals, everyone likes him.”

Trump refused to be drawn on whether he would go ahead with his threat to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. “I’m not going to comment on that. But we’ll see,” he said.

Trump’s embrace of Kushner seems to reflect an observation by the veteran US diplomat Henry Kissinger: namely, that such decisions are not always driven by logic. “Every president I’ve ever known has one or two people he intuitively and structurally trusts,” Kissinger told ­Forbes magazine. “Jared might be that person.”

Kushner’s long-mooted role has been welcomed behind the scenes by the Netanyahu government. “What we know, he’s a really tough, smart guy, and we hope he will bring new energy to our region,” Israel’s defence minister, Avigdor Lieberman, said of Kushner last month.

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Ron Dermer, Israel’s abrasive ambassador to the US, has also previously welcomed a role in the region for Kushner. “There’s no question that he feels a strong commitment to Israel’s security and Israel’s future,” he said.

Although Kushner is credited with guiding Trump’s thinking on the Israel-Palestine issue, pushing the incoming administration towards a more avowedly rightwing pro-Israel position, observers have been at a loss to pinpoint any direct experience of the issue, suggesting that if appointed he will have to learn quickly.

Palestinian officials, deeply concerned over the Kushner family’s links to a far-right Jewish settlement, told the Guardian that they had been told several weeks ago that Kushner was calling “the shots on the issue”, including over the embassy move.

Reflecting on Kushner’s lack of immediate experience, the veteran US Middle East peace negotiator Dennis Ross told the Jerusalem Post last week that Kushner would need to be a quick learner.

“People I know who know him describe him as smart, as someone who will clearly learn what he needs to learn and will approach things thoughtfully, carefully, even analytically,” Ross said. “So those would all be descriptors that I would hope would be accurate and emblematic of how he’ll approach his responsibilities helping the new president.”