Donald Trump's son-in-law and nepotistic White House staff appointment was nominated for negotiating four normalization deals between Israel and Arab nations.
The Nobel peace prize is set to be awarded in October later this year, and nominations have been flying in. Among those nominated is Jared Kushner, former White House senior adviser to 45th United States President Donald Trump. More notably, he is Trump's son-in-law. Kushner's deputy, Avi Berkowitz, has also been nominated for the Nobel peace prize. The duo was reportedly nominated for their role in negotiating the Abraham Accords, four normalization deals between Israel and Arab nations, including United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. American attorney Alan Dershowitz filed the nominations for Kushner and Berkowitz, The Guardian reports.
Dershowitz, who defended former President Trump during his first impeachment trial, was eligible to file a nomination in his capacity as a professor emeritus of Harvard Law School. Nominations do not imply endorsements on behalf of the Nobel committee. Upon receiving the nomination, Kushner affirmed in a statement that he was honored to be considered for the prestigious award. The Abraham Accords were negotiated between mid-August and mid-December. They have been considered "the most significant diplomatic breakthroughs in the Middle East in 25 years." This is particularly important as the region is preparing for a prolonged confrontation with neighbor Iran.
Other nominees for the Nobel peace prize include Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, the World Health Organization, and climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. These nominations were filed and supported by Norwegian lawmakers who have a track record of picking the winner, so Kushner's prospects do not look too rosy. Nominations were closed on Sunday, just under two weeks after Trump left office "under a cloud of controversy." This may further affect Kushner and Berkowitz's chances of securing the Nobel peace prize, many believe. This is not the first time a controversial nomination has been made: last year, Trump himself was nominated despite being accused of instigating hate within the United States.
As President Joe Biden takes the reigns in the White House, his administration is expected to review all national security deals, including the Abraham Accords, in due time. Allegedly, some lawmakers have filed complaints about the Morocco deal as the United States had to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region in order to secure their signature of the deal. Arms packages for the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia will also be reviewed. Meanwhile, Dershowitz has recommended that the Senate dismiss the current article of impeachment against former President Trump. He cited in an interview with the Wall Street Journal the tired argument that "Trump was no longer in office" in order to defend his stance.