Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner told foreign diplomats Wednesday that the Trump administration’s “deal of the century” will be released following the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan on June 5, according to a source cited by Reuters.
In addressing his remarks to a group of 100 foreign ambassadors at Blair House, Kushner urged the gathering to “keep an open mind,” the source said, telling them the plan will “require concessions from both sides but won’t jeopardize the security of Israel.
“We will all have to look for reasonable compromises that will make peace achievable,” Kushner said. U.S. Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt confirmed the report by the source.
The proposal reportedly has two major components: A “very detailed” political component that addresses core issues such as the status of Jerusalem, and an economic part geared towards helping the Palestinian Authority strengthen its economy.
One day earlier, newly-appointed Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, educated in the UK, told international media he believes the Trump administration’s upcoming peace plan will be “born dead.”
“There are no partners in Palestine for Trump. There are no Arab partners for Trump and there are no European partners for Trump, he said.
“Israel is part of the financial war that has been declared upon us by the United States. The whole system is to try to push us to surrender” and agree to a Middle East peace proposal considered unacceptable,” he said. “This is financial blackmail, which we reject.”
Greenblatt, however, advised Shtayyeh in a series of posts on Twitter that he was making a mistake by rejecting the deal out of hand before knowing what it is, and exploring the opportunities it presents to the people of the Palestinian Authority.
Why does the new PA Prime Minister hope for our plan to be “born dead” & for peace to fail? By working with us, perhaps something wonderful can happen for Palestinians. We've repeatedly said this won't just be an economic plan. https://t.co/OB0Cq8eZ47
— Jason D. Greenblatt (@jdgreenblatt45)
PM Shtayyeh, starting a new job by condemning a plan you haven’t seen is unfair to Palestinians. You have an obligation to first look at an opportunity before you dismiss it. The PA can continue to push us away, but that will do nothing to improve the lives of the Palestinians.
— Jason D. Greenblatt (@jdgreenblatt45)
