>
Article snippet: WASHINGTON — The man who would bring peace to the Middle East strode onto the stage and peered out at a room full of people who have tried and failed. Tall and thin, confident and calm, Jared Kushner, rookie negotiator, made his debut in front of the world of veteran diplomatic hagglers on Sunday with a polite, deferential and purposefully bland appearance at a Middle East conference that was designed to pay respect but little more. For half an hour, Mr. Kushner answered questions on stage at the Saban Forum, the premier gathering of American and Middle Eastern luminaries each winter, but gave away no hint of the “ultimate deal” he and his father-in-law, President Trump, are developing for the long-benighted region. Many of those still nursing scars from their own tortured peace efforts came, if for no other reason, just to hear his voice, since he has been so removed from the public. “You see a lot of reasons why this deal could go south very quickly, and there’s a ton of distractions that come up,” Mr. Kushner acknowledged to those who knew that better than anyone. And yet, he said, “I am optimistic that there is a lot of hope for bringing a conclusion.” Mr. Kushner, who for good or ill looks younger than his 36 years, made a point of praising past negotiators, saying he was building on their efforts, without offering a particularly compelling argument for why the outcome now would be any different. In effect, he said, Mr. Trump had defied the odds by winning l... Link to the full article to read more