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The Temple Mount Crisis Ended Trump's Palestinian Honeymoon
(Times of Israel) Raphael Ahren - President Trump and his special envoy, Jason Greenblatt, had been going to great lengths to show their intention to approach the Israeli-Palestinian conflict evenhandedly. But in recent days, the Palestinians' relationship with the Trump administration, which started off surprisingly amicably, has soured - largely in the wake of last month's tensions over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. In leaked comments, President Trump's Middle East point man, Jared Kushner, seemed sympathetic to Israel's position on the crisis, while a senior Palestinian source told Al-Monitor, "Greenblatt picked a side and represented Netanyahu throughout the crisis." Kushner, speaking to Congressional interns this week, defended Israel's decision to erect metal detectors following the terror attack at the Temple Mount as "not an irrational thing to do," noting that two Israelis had been killed with guns brought into the site. The next thing that happened is that the Palestinians "start inciting" and claiming Israel wanted to change the status quo, said Kushner. "And Israel was saying we don't want anything to do with that, we just want to make sure people are safe." Kushner went on to criticize Palestinian clergy who told worshipers their prayers wouldn't be accepted if they passed through the Israeli metal detectors. Discussing an eventual peace deal, Kushner said, "We're thinking about what the right end state is, and we're trying to work with the parties very quietly to see if there's a solution. And there may be no solution." A senior official in Jerusalem noted on Wednesday that the Palestinians "are seeking every excuse not to engage in genuine direct peace negotiations."