White House to roll out economic component of Middle East peace proposal, report says

Marcy Oster

(JTA) — The White House reportedly will roll out the first part of its Middle East peace proposal – an “economic workshop” – in an announcement on Sunday.

CNN’s Jake Tapper reported the imminent announcement on Sunday morning, citing an unnamed senior Trump administration official.

The workshop to encourage capital investment in the West Bank, Gaza, and countries in the region, for finance ministers and global and regional business leaders, will take place in Manama, Bahrain, on June 25 and 26, according to CNN.

The president’s son-in law and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, and White House Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt have worked since the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency on the peace proposal, which contains both political and economic components.  The entire plan reportedly will be announced later this year.

Kushner told CNN in a statement that “people are letting their grandfathers’ conflict destroy their children’s futures. This will present an exciting, realistic and viable pathway forward that does not currently exist.”

The workshop will focus solely on economic issues and avoid political discussions om issues such as the formation of a Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem and the right of return for Palestinians who fled Israel before and during the War for Independence in 1948.