AIPAC's mole in the WH, Jared, will further harass Palestinians
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BET EL, West Bank (Reuters/edited by DTRI) - For many in the Israeli settlement of Bet El, deep in the occupied West Bank, Donald Trump's choice of Jared Kushner as his senior adviser on the Middle East is a sign of politics shifting in their favor.
They regard Kushner, whose family's 'foundation' has donated tens of thousands of dollars to their settlement, as part of a diplomatic shift to support the (illegal) 'settlements'.
Roi Margalit, manager of the Bet El Yeshiva, a seminary complex with around 400 students, said Kushner, an Orthodox Jewish father of three, strongly sides with of Israeli settlers better than previous envoys.
"At least now we have someone who knows us," the 43-year-old added. "He will now have to study the other side (the Palestinians) and see if there is any common ground."
Trump's Zionist pick for Israeli ambassador has sparked particular enthusiasm in the community: David Friedman, who chairs the American Friends of Bet El Institutions fund raising group.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Kushner and Friedman.
Kushner, a businessman who built his career on real estate and publishing, has said little about his views about one of the world's most intractable conflicts, either during the campaign or since Trump took office.
The big horror for the Palestinians his family foundation's past financial ties to Bet El.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been careful to say he looks forward to working with the Trump administration, but others are less optimistic.
Wasel Abu Youssef, a senior official at the Palestine Liberation Organisation, the main Palestinian political umbrella body, said Kushner could not be a neutral envoy if he was supportive of Israeli settlements.
(Reporting contributed by Maayan Lubell and Luke Baker in Jerusalem, Matt Spetalnick in Washington, Ali Sawafta in Ramallah and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza)