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Trump administration envoys in Mideast prior to peace plan

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.

Jared Kushner, senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks to Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, during a helicopter ride aboard a CH-47 over Baghdad, on April 3, 2017. Credit: Dominique A. Pineiro/U.S. Department of Defense.
Jared Kushner, senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks to Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, during a helicopter ride aboard a CH-47 over Baghdad, on April 3, 2017. Credit: Dominique A. Pineiro/U.S. Department of Defense.

White House senior adviser and presidential son-in law Jared Kushner, along with Mideast envoy Jason Greenblatt and U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook, are now in Morocco, and will soon fly to Jordan and Israel later as the Trump administration prepares to release its highly anticipated peace plan for the Israelis and the Palestinians, reported multiple outlets, citing a White House official.

Kushner will travel on Saturday to Montreux, Switzerland, where he will address global officials at the annual Bilderberg Meeting for dialogue about major foreign-policy matters.

He will then meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in London during his father-in-law’s state visit.

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.

The Palestinian Authority, China and Russia have announced they will boycott the summit, while Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have stated otherwise.

This week’s Mideast trip comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been struggling to form a governing coalition after his party won the most votes in last month’s election. If no deal is reached, elections will be held in the fall, tentatively scheduled for Sept. 17, just 161 days after the previous election—an unprecedentedly short interval.

The failure of coalition negotiations has hinged on talks between Netanyahu and Israel Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman, who has refused to join the government unless he is promised the passage of a law subjecting ultra-Orthodox Israeli men to the country’s mandatory draft. The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism and Shas parties have refused to be part of Netanyahu’s coalition if such a law is drafted.

In a vote of 64-44, the Israeli Knesset on Monday night approved in its first reading a bill to disband the legislature.

Trump tweeted his support for Netanyahu on Monday: “Hoping things will work out with Israel’s coalition formation and Bibi and I can continue to make the alliance between America and Israel stronger than ever. A lot more to do!”

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