U.S. President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt expressed optimism in the aftermath of the Bahrain economic summit as part of the Trump administration’s Mideast peace initiative to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“We changed the conversation,” Greenblatt told i24NEWS, dismissing criticisms of the “Peace to Prosperity Workshop” in the Bahraini capital of Manama, which ran from Tuesday to Wednesday.
“Nobody can create a situation that doesn’t include an economic package,” he continued. “What we heard from the investors is ‘we can make this happen. This is an investable type of project if the political solution is there.’ ”
Greenblatt stressed the importance of Israel’s role in revitalizing the Palestinian economy, saying that the latter “needs to be a connection with the Israeli economy. And we think that can happen quickly now that we’ve released the economic portion.”
The special envoy did not specify when, if at all, the administration will release the political component of its peace deal.
“What we have developed is the most comprehensive economic plan ever created specifically for the Palestinians and the broader Middle East,” said White House senior adviser and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner at the conference on Tuesday. “We can turn this region from a victim of past conflicts into a model for commerce and advancement throughout the world.”
Ahead of the workshop, the Trump administration released a 40-page document on Saturday detailing a $50 billion, 10-year investment plan for the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon.
