Middle East
An estimated 600 were already there, adding to the announced total.
U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook and Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer were also present.
Senior P.A. official: “The peace plan will be postponed until after the U.S. 2020 elections and end up in the dustbin of history” • Kushner and Greenblatt arrive in Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Criticizing the “failed” previous U.S. summit in Warsaw on Iran, the Russian embassy in Tel Aviv said that the latest summit in Bahrain represents the “persistent desire to replace a comprehensive political solution with economic ‘bonuses.’ ”
The administration will begin rolling out its peace proposal, dubbed the “deal of the century,” at a conference in Bahrain scheduled for June 25-26 to promote stimulating the economy in the Palestinian territories.
Calling the upcoming peace plan the “deal of disgrace,” P.A. leader Mahmoud Abbas says America is trying to “sell illusions.”
They will be there to serve in a “mostly protective role,” according to U.S. President Donald Trump.
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the plan’s release, which will begin with an economic workshop in Bahrain scheduled for June 25-26.
That could add to the estimated 22,000 U.S. military personnel already in several countries in the region, including Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, according to the Pentagon.
“This is an official announcement that Palestine will not attend the Manama meeting,” said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. “This is a collective Palestinian position.”
Articles in the Jordanian press are calling for a new intifada against Israel to thwart the upcoming U.S. Mideast peace proposal.
Palestinian Authority Culture Minister Atef Abu Saif: “Maybe President Donald Trump should stand trial for his policy on the Palestinians; his advisers are accessories to Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians.”
