The White House revealed Sunday that it would unveil the “economic component” of its long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan at a regional economic conference to be held in Manama, Bahrain, on June 25 and 26.
In a joint communiqué released Sunday, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States outlined the conference agenda:
The Kingdom of Bahrain, in partnership with the United States, will host the “Peace to Prosperity” economic workshop in Manama on June 25 and June 26, 2019. This workshop is a pivotal opportunity to convene government, civil society, and business leaders to share ideas, discuss strategies, and galvanize support for potential economic investments and initiatives that could be made possible by a peace agreement.
“Peace to Prosperity” will facilitate discussions on an ambitious, achievable vision and framework for a prosperous future for the Palestinian people and the region, including enhancements to economic governance, development of human capital, and facilitation of rapid private-sector growth. If implemented, this vision has the potential to radically transform lives and put the region on a path toward a brighter future.
Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin was quoted by the communiqué as saying that the economic conference “will offer Palestinians exciting new opportunities to realize their full potential” following a peace agreement.
A senior administration official, speaking on background, said that the goal of the plan would be to harness grant, low-interest loans, and private investment toward growing the Palestinian economy and raising the Palestinian standard of living as a foundation for peace. Several Palestinian business leaders had been invited to participate in the conference.
Senior presidential adviser Jared Kushner said in a statement: “The Palestinian people, along with all people in the Middle East, deserve a future with dignity and the opportunity to better their lives. Economic progress can only be achieved with a solid economic vision and if the core political issues are resolved. We look forward to presenting our vision on ways to bridge the core political issues very soon.”
The Trump administration has been working on its peace plan for many months. Few details are known, though the administration has suggested that it will look somewhat different than the efforts undertaken by previous presidents.
The Palestinian Authority has already rejected the peace plan out of hand, saying that the Trump administration is too pro-Israel. However, regional powers, especially Saudi Arabia, are thought to be cooperating with the administration.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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