Jerusalem (CNN) The White House's economic workshop , the first step in its much-heralded Mideast peace plan, puts investment in the Palestinian economy front and center. But leading Palestinian businessmen say they will stay away from the conference, scheduled to take place in Bahrain at the end of next month. The idea of economic peace is an old idea that is now being asked differently, and as our people have previously rejected it, we reject it now." Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, through his spokesman, said an economic focus was "futile" without a conversation about the political horizon. "There is never a good time in the Middle East [to unveil a peace plan] so this point is as good as it can get.

Source: CNN May 22, 2019 09:30 UTC