Jason Greenblatt visits home of slain Israeli policewoman, Western Wall

JTA
Published June 20, 2017

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Jason Greenblatt paid a shiva visit to the family of an Israel border policewoman stabbed to death by a Palestinian terrorist and visited the Western Wall before meeting with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

Greenblatt, President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, arrived Sunday in Israel. That evening he visited the family of Hadas Malka, 23, who was killed in the Old City of Jerusalem on Friday evening as she responded to another Palestinian attack nearby.

A White House statement issued following the visit noted that Greenblatt offered condolences on behalf of the Trump administration.

“Incidents such as this underscore why it is vital to realize President Trump’s vision of a Middle East free from threats of terrorism and extremism,” the statement said.

On Monday morning, Greenblatt visited the Western Wall, tweeting a photo of himself praying in the men’s section.

“Today, at the Kotel, I prayed for an end to violence and that we would experience the blessings of peace,” he wrote.

On Tuesday, Greenblatt tweeted that he met with Palestinian officials that morning “to further our discussions on how to achieve peace.”

He also met with former Israeli peace envoy Isaac Molcho and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner, who also is the president’s Jewish son-in-law, is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Wednesday for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials to push for restarted peace talks between the two sides.

The visits by Greenblatt and Kushner are the first major peace push by the White House since Trump visited the region last month.

Unnamed White House officials cited by several news sources have reiterated that an agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians is a priority for the Trump administration.

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