JERUSALEM — The Palestinian prime minister said Monday that any American peace plan that ignores the Palestinian people’s political aspirations for an independent state is doomed to fail. Mohammad Shtayyeh’s comments immediately cast a cloud over the American-led Mideast peace conference expected to take place in late June in the tiny Gulf Arab state of Bahrain. The White House announced Sunday it will unveil the first phase of its long-awaited Mideast peace plan at the conference, saying it will focus on economic benefits that could be reaped if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is resolved. In the absence of direct talks with Palestinian leaders, U.S. officials often talk of engaging private Palestinians and “civil society” groups. The Palestinians have already said they would reject any peace plan offered by the U.S., saying Trump is unfairly biased toward Israel.

Source: National Post May 20, 2019 05:48 UTC