RIYADH/AMMAN/CAIRO: President Donald Trump’s economic vision as part of the wider plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was met with contempt, repudiation and exasperation in the Arab world. Meanwhile, some countries in the Gulf are ready to give it a try.
The $50 billion “peace to prosperity” plan, set to be presented by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner at a conference in Bahrain next week. The economic plan envisions a global investment fund to lift the Palestinian and neighboring Arab state economies. But the lack of a political solution prompted rejection not only from Palestinians but also in Arab countries that Israel would like to have normal relations.
From Sudan to Kuwait, prominent commentators and ordinary citizens denounced Kushner’s proposals in strikingly similar terms: “colossal waste of time,” “non-starter,” “dead on arrival.” “Homelands cannot be sold, even for all the money in the world,” Egyptian analyst Gamal Fahmy said. “This plan is the brainchild of real estate brokers, not politicians.
Even Arab states that are described as moderate are not able to openly express support for it.” The PLO has dismissed Kushner’s plans as “all abstract promises,” insisting that only a political solution will solve the problem. It said they were an attempt to bribe the Palestinians into accepting Israeli occupation.
Azzam Huneidi, deputy head of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s main opposition said: “The economic plan is the sale of Palestine under the banner of prosperity in return for peace and with no land being returned … and with the bulk of the funds shouldered by Gulf Arab states … A deal with Arab money.”Kushner’s economic proposals will be discussed at a U.S.-led gathering on June 25-26. (Agencies)
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