39: Deal of the Century: Jason Greenblatt, the heart of the deal

Officially Jason Greenblatt has left his role as one of President Trump’s chief Middle East peacemakers. But in practice, it’s quite another matter. “It's like that line from the Eagles' song, 'you can checkout anytime you like, but you can never leave'", says today’s prestigious guest. In January 2017, Jason was appointed Assistant to the President and Special Representative for International Negotiations. As the co-architect of the Trump Peace Plan for the Middle East with presidential advisor and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner and US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, he admits being still very much involved despite leaving the White House in September 2019. The following February, Jason joined the board of Our Crowd, a crowdfunding investment platform aimed at projects in the Middle East but says he's in regular contact with diplomats, politicians and contacts built up during his years in Washington. It's a wonderful interview in which we unpack the hopes and challenges of bringing an elusive peace to Israel and the Palestinians and he doesn't shy away from the difficult obstacles. He's realistic in his outlook. Jason is a first-generation American. His parents only arrived in the US in 1941 and 1956 as penniless Jewish immigrants of both Nazism and Communism and he marvels at the opportunities his country has given him. LISTEN to Jason Greenblatt Jonny makes these podcasts for free and if you enjoy his shows, you can help support him at https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=BW4GZLQCCL29Y&item_name=Podcast+production+¤cy_code=GBP&source=url