JERUSALEM - The economic component of the Trump administration’s long-awaited Mideast peace plan drew chilly responses from regional allies Sunday, two days before it was to be discussed at a conference in the Gulf. An Israeli minister called a major piece of the White House’s “peace to prosperity” plan “irrelevant,” while Jordan and Egypt restated their support for a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, pouring cold water on Washington’s focus on economic issues. The $50 billion economic plan, published on Saturday, calls for massive infrastructure projects and job creation for Palestinians. It makes no mention of Palestinian political aspirations — a state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, lands Israel captured in 1967. The Palestinians have refused to attend, saying the U.S. plan adopts hard line Israeli positions and neglects the internationally backed two-state solution.

Source: thestar June 23, 2019 12:26 UTC