Netanyahu meets with senior Trump advisers in Jerusalem

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner on Wednesday in Jerusalem. Kushner is visiting Israel along with U.S. Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, who met with Netanyahu on Tuesday.

Prior to their meeting, Greenblatt met with Isaac Molho, Netanyahu's envoy to the negotiations with the Palestinians, and traveled to Ramallah, where he met with advisers to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Tuesday downplayed the visits.

"There's nothing [going on] behind the scenes," he told Israel Radio. "Things are simple and transparent. Trump's representatives are still in the learning stages and are trying to understand the [parties'] positions. They want to understand what the parties are proposing; what the basic interests are; what the basic position is for both Israel and the Palestinians. We are open to dialogue with the Americans. The Palestinian issue is not a new issue on the Israeli government's agenda."

Speaking at the annual Herzliya Conference on Tuesday, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon claimed the Trump administration was putting pressure on Israel to move toward an agreement with the Palestinians.

"Something is happening," Kahlon said. "The American administration feels it can reach an agreement, possibly because of its good ties with the Israeli government, which allow Trump to have greater influence than in the Obama era."