The long-awaited Trump plan for peace in the Middle East took a step closer to public release on Sunday with the announcement of a conference in Bahrain that will consider the economic benefits of any deal to regional players.
The economic focus is likely to be the first phase of a broader plan for peace between Palestinians and Israelis – described as the "deal of the century" by President Donald Trump – with political aspects to follow.
Bloomberg quoted a senior administration official as telling reporters on Sunday that a political proposal by senior White House adviser Jared Kushner and U.S. special representative Jason Greenblatt is expected to be unveiled after the June 25-26 economic conference.
CNN reported that Kushner has modeled the economic plan on successful policies in Poland, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. An administration official told the network that the plan covered infrastructure, industry, empowering and investing in people, and governance reforms.
The U.S. will host the "Peace to Prosperity" conference alongside Bahrain, bringing together government, civil society and business leaders.
"This workshop is a pivotal opportunity... to share ideas, discuss strategies and galvanize support for potential economic investments and initiatives that could be made possible by a peace agreement," the U.S. and Bahrain said in a joint statement.
Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, said the Manama meeting would be an "opportunity to present our ideas for creating greater economic vibrancy in the region."
"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 U.S. peace plan is expected to feature proposals for regional economic development that would include Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, but the Palestinians have been adamant that it will fail.
Palestinians have not played a role in putting the plan together, and have argued it will be biased in favor of Israel.
The New York Times reported in February that the Kushner plan involved investing tens of billions of dollars in Palestine and other countries in the region, but while promising new ideas the White House adviser has refused to say whether it involves a two-state solution. Having two states for Israelis and Palestinians has been for decades the U.S.-backed goal in peace talks.
