U.S. To Roll Out Peace Plan Soon?

US planning to roll out peace plan at meeting with Arab leaders 

The United States is reportedly planning a conference with Arab leaders at Camp David, during which US President Donald Trump will roll out his plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Invitations to the conference will be extended by Jared Kushner, Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, as he visits Israel and the Middle East this week to drum up support for the plan, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported Wednesday.

During the conference, which is set to be held before the general elections in Israel on September 17, Trump will outline the broad strokes of his plan without making any binding proposals, the newspaper said.


US officials have previously stated the plan would not be released until after the Israeli elections.

According to the report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu helped plan the meeting, which could be a boon to his reelection hopes.

Citing an unnamed US source, Yedioth said Netanyahu is not expected to be invited to Camp David, however, as his presence could deter Arab leaders from attending.

The report did not say which countries will receive an invite. Besides Israel, Kushner and the US peace team are set to travel to Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

At the Camp David meeting, the paper, said Trump will voice support for a Palestinian political entity but not necessarily a state, as well as for a Palestinian presence in East Jerusalem, though not necessarily a capital.

Such proposals would likely be rejected out of hand by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who backs the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem.

The US has so far kept the political elements of its plan under wraps, while the economic aspects of it were presented last month by Kushner at an American-led conference in Bahrain.

In his meetings with Arab leaders, Kushner will also tout Israel’s approval of a plan to grant 700 building permits to Palestinians in Israeli-controlled Area C of the West Bank, which the report said could help sell the US peace proposal.

The security cabinet, in approving those permits on Tuesday, also greenlighted 6,000 construction licenses for homes in neighboring settlements.

The approvals were praised by US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, who in an interview with CNN said the administration’s plan seeks “Palestinian autonomy” and self-governance, but stopped short of endorsing the establishment of a Palestinian state.