The economic component of the Trump administration’s long-awaited Mideast peace plan drew chilly responses from regional allies Sunday, June 23, two days before it was to be discussed at a conference in the Gulf. So members were shocked Sunday to learn that the White House is now using its photos in promotional materials for a U.S. peace plan that has been skewered by veterans of past Mideast peace efforts. It pledges to more than double Palestinian economic activity, reduce the Palestinian unemployment rate to nearly single digits and cut poverty by 50% over 10 years. Nor does it refer to Israel’s West Bank settlements, which sit on the 60% of the West Bank that is virtually off limits to Palestinian development. ___Shahar Golan in Jerusalem and Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed reporting.

Source: Washington Post June 23, 2019 12:19 UTC