Trump's in-law set to play influential role in Middle East policy

US President-elect Donald Trump's selection of Mr. Massad Boulos as a senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs may put the automotive tycoon, who is also Trump's in-law, in a position to exert considerable influence over US policy in the Middle East.

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BEIRUT -

Mr. Boulos, whose son is married to Trump's daughter, Tiffany, was picked by the President-elect on Dec. 1 for a role that could prove pivotal as the administration faces myriad crises in the region: a tenuous ceasefire in Mr. Boulos' native Lebanon; a humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip; and a civil war in Syria, mostly dormant for years, that has rapidly escalated in recent days.

For Mr. Boulos, once a relatively obscure entrepreneur, his appointment followed a meteoric rise to prominence in recent months.

During the election campaign, he helped garner support for Trump among Arab Americans in Michigan, a key battleground state. He has become a familiar face on Lebanese television, spreading the incoming Trump administration's message, and he has acted as something of a de facto liaison between Trump and Middle Eastern leaders, including Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestinian Authority.