15 Feb 2022; MEMO: Jared Kushner has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for a second year running for his work on normalising relations between Israel and Arab countries. The son-in-law of former US President Donald told the Jerusalem Post that thanks for this must go to the "visionary leaders and efforts of millions of Israelis and Arabs" through whom the so-called "Abraham Accords continue to strengthen, making the Middle East — and the world — a safer, more prosperous place."
US Congressman and Republican candidate for governor of New York Lee Zeldin nominated both Kushner and the former White House adviser's deputy, Avi Berkowitz, said the New York Post.
"The Abraham Accords, signed in 2020, represent the most significant diplomatic breakthrough between Israel and Arab nations in decades," wrote Zeldin in his nomination. "Against the background of a centuries-old conflict and the Covid-19 pandemic, rising tensions and Iran's growing influence, Kushner and Berkowitz successfully brought together regional leaders, and forged regional alliances better capable of countering Iran's malign influence."
In September 2020, the UAE and Israel signed a US-sponsored deal to normalise relations. Since then, the two countries have signed dozens of bilateral agreements in various fields, including investment, banking services and tourism.
Three other Arab states – Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan – joined the UAE in the controversial move that came to be known as the Abraham Accords.
Last year, prominent American lawyer Alan Dershowitz, one of the most vocal supporters of the occupation state of Israel, also nominated Kushner and Berkowitz for the peace prize.