Former White House adviser Jared Kushner and his deputy, Avi Berkowitz, have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for their role in negotiating four normalization agreements between Israel and Arab countries, known as the ‘Abraham Accords’
U.S. Attorney Alan Dershowitz nominated the former deputies to then-President Donald Trump, who is eligible to do so in his capacity as emeritus professor at Harvard Law School.
Kushner, who is Trump’s son-in-law, and Berkowitz, who was the envoy to the Middle East, were key figures in the negotiations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
The deals were announced between mid-August and mid-December and were the most important diplomatic breakthroughs in the Middle East in 25 years, as the region forms a long confrontation with Iran.
Kushner said in a statement that he was honored to be nominated for the award given in October.
President Joe Biden’s government is expected to review all national security agreements reached during the Trump administration, including arms packages to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
There have been some complaints from lawmakers about the Morocco agreement, because in order for Morocco to agree to it, the United States has recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region.
Trump left office on January 20 amid a cloud of controversy, which could have an effect on whether the few assistants would receive the award.