The Trump administration's plan to bring peace to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is based on huge financial incentives for the Palestinians, which will convince them to drop opposition to US involvement in forming any peace agreement.
Former US Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk told "Jewish Insider" that Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner and special representative for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt are looking to raise money in the Gulf. Earlier this week, they met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. Prior to that they had visited Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar and presented to their rulers the 'components' of the American economic plan for the region that is part of the diplomatic peace plan.
Former US Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk told "Jewish Insider" that, " "Kushner is trying to raise $65 billion in funds to support not just the Palestinians but also Egypt and Jordan. So there’s no reason to go there on this trip. They’re supposed to be beneficiaries, not donors."
Asked how much President Trump would contribute to the peace effort Indyk said, "Somewhere between effes and shum davar (zero and nothing in Hebrew). He added, "Actually, I have no idea but it’s probably the second question the potential donors will ask. The first question will be: ‘What’s in the plan?’ And since it could cause an upheaval in Israel if any part of the plan leaks, he (Kushner) probably can’t answer that."
"The New York Times" quotes unidentified analysts as saying that out of the $65 billion, $25 billion would be earmarked for the West Bank and Gaza and $40 billion for Egypt and Jordan.
"Reuters" says that Kushner and Greenblatt have not been making progress in their current round of meetings in the Middle East. Two diplomatic sources in the "Gulf" told "Reuters" that this was because Kushner is focusing on economic initiatives rather than stressing land for peace. Arab diplomats are complaining that the plan does not take into account Arab demands on the status of Jerusalem, the return of Palestinian refugees and West Bank Jewish settlements.
One source said that Kushner was looking to make the deal first and worry about the details afterwards.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on February 28, 2019
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