‘PROSPEROUS AND VIBRANT’

Jared Kushner Unveils First Part of White House’s Mideast Peace Plan

The plan, which would distribute $50 billion among Arab nations, was swiftly rejected by Palestinians.

The White House on Saturday unveiled the economic portion of its long-anticipated Middle East peace plan, a 38-page proposal that calls for a $50 billion injection among Arab nations. “It would create a million jobs in the West Bank and Gaza,” White House senior adviser Kushner told Reuters of the “Peace to Prosperity” plan, which was two years in the making. Describing the ambitious plan, Kushner claimed it would bring unemployment in the West Bank and Gaza down “to the single digits,” “double their GDP” and “reduce their poverty rate by half.” The proposal, which Kushner will present at a conference in Bahrain next week, envisions a slew of funding sources, but there was no commitment from the U.S. about a specific dollar amount.

It was also not clear how the Trump administration plans to convince the governments of countries in the Persian Gulf to cough up the money called for from them in the plan. While the White House hailed the proposal as “a vision to empower the Palestinian people to build a prosperous and vibrant Palestinian society,” the plan was roundly rejected as a non-starter by Palestinian leaders. “First lift the siege of Gaza, stop the Israeli theft of our land, resources and funds, give us our freedom of movement and control over our borders, airspace, territorial waters etc,” Palestinian negotiator Hanan Ashrawi tweeted. “Then watch us build a vibrant prosperous economy as a free and sovereign people.”