Washington — Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he had appointed American Lebanese businessman Massad Boulos, the father of one of his sons-in-law, as his Middle East adviser.

“Massad is a skilled negotiator and a steadfast advocate for PEACE in the Middle East. He will be a staunch defender of the United States and its interests,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas has been plaguing the region for more than a year. 

A longtime Republican, Boulos built his fortune selling automobiles in Nigeria. The 2022 marriage of his son Michael Boulos to Donald Trump’s daughter Tiffany propelled him into the newly elected billionaire’s inner circle.

Boulos took an active part in the presidential campaign, working to convince the Arab community in some key states to vote for Trump.

“Massad is an accomplished lawyer and a highly respected business leader with extensive experience on the international stage,” the president-elect, who is due to take office on January 20, said.

A Maronite Christian, Boulos had tried to get elected as a parliamentarian in Lebanon, without success.

During the presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly said he would end the conflict between Israel and Hamas, without ever revealing a plan to do so.

Boulos had explained in October that he shared the same philosophy.

Israel “has military objectives to achieve, namely to get rid of Hamas’ infrastructure and its capacity to launch new attacks,” he said in an interview with Sky News.

But “they have to do it very quickly. (…), It cannot last forever,” he added. 

His appointment comes days after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite Islamist movement allied with Hamas and Iran.

This truce in Lebanon gives hope for progress in the Middle East to the administration of Joe Biden, still in power for a few weeks.

In the wake of the Lebanon deal, the United States is “actively” working toward a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Jake Sullivan, the current White House national security adviser, said Sunday. But “we’re not there yet,” he said.

On Saturday, Trump also named Charles Kushner, the father of his other son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, as U.S. ambassador to France. 

An unusual choice for a diplomatic role: Kushner spent a year in federal prison for tax fraud before being pardoned by Trump toward the end of his first term in the White House.
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