President Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner have released their Middle East peace plan, which is based on economic incentives. To kick off negotiations the United States will hold an “economic workshop” in Bahrain next month to discuss strategies to invest in the Palestinians and other Arabs.
The basic premise is to induce cooperation from Palestine by promising economic investment in the region.
Per the New York Times:
“The White House has indicated that it is seeking tens of billions of dollars but would not identify a precise figure; diplomats and lawmakers have been told the goal is about $68 billion for the Palestinians, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon.”
Peter Baker (February, 26, 2019)
According to Kushner, the economic aspect of the plan is a precursor to political negotiations. It is unclear how the administration intends to pull off peace talks given both Palestine and Israel have moved further from peace over the past few years, in many ways, due to the policies of the Trump administration.
The Lens 