U.S. Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt has issued a statement via Twitter expressing satisfaction that the Palestinian Authority has released a businessman arrested by PA intelligence agents after he returned from the “Peace to Prosperity” workshop in Bahrain last week.
“We are pleased the PA has released the Palestinian they arrested after attending the Peace to Prosperity workshop,” Greenblatt wrote. “We look forward to continuing our conversation with all who attended the workshop and anyone else who wants a better future for the Palestinians.”
PA security agents also tried to arrest at least three other Palestinian Authority businessmen who participated in the U.S.-led workshop, which was focused on improving the PA economy through the fiscal element of the Trump administration’s regional peace plan.
The Ramallah government officially boycotted the workshop and called on all PA business leaders to do the same, claiming the event was aimed at “liquidating the Palestinian cause.”
The Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain was also damaged over the weekend after rioters broke into the building in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
Greenblatt expressed the U.S. condemnation of the attack, which was specifically directed at Bahrain in retaliation for its support of the Peace to Prosperity workshop.
“We condemn the storming of Bahrain’s embassy in Baghdad and the damage caused by the thugs who broke into it,” Greenblatt wrote. “We support our close partner Bahrain and thank them for taking a courageous step to support peace between Israel and Palestinians by hosting our Peace to Prosperity workshop.”