(JTA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Jerusalem with senior White House adviser Jared Kushner and a delegation of American diplomats trying to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. The meeting Thursday afternoon, August 24, was part of a visit to the region by the U.S. diplomats. Kushner and the group were meeting that evening with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. The delegation led by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, includes special Middle East peace envoy Jason Greenblatt; the deputy national security adviser for strategy, Dina Powell; and the ambassador to Israel, David Friedman.

Kushner said Trump “is very committed to achieving a solution here that will be able to bring prosperity and peace to all people in this area, and we really appreciate the commitment of the prime minister and his team to engaging very thoughtfully and respectfully in the way that the president has asked them to do so.” He added that the relationship between Israel and America “is stronger than ever.”

Abbas told a delegation of Israeli lawmakers from the left-wing Meretz party during a meeting in Ramallah earlier in the week, referring to the U.S. leadership, “I don’t even know how they are dealing with us because his entire administration is in chaos.” He told the lawmakers he does not expect any breakthroughs.

Prior to its arrival in Israel, the delegation met with leaders in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

An unnamed U.S. diplomatic source told reporters in Jerusalem on Wednesday night after the arrival of the delegation that Trump wanted discussions “to focus on the transition to substantive … peace talks, the situation in Gaza, including how to ease the humanitarian crisis there, and the economic steps that can be taken.”