Palestinian Leaders Reject Jared Kushner’s Peace Plan Including Economic Deal & Bahrain Conference

The Palestinian Authority has rejected the economic portion of the Palestinian-Israeli proposed by Senior Advisor to the White House Jared Kushner, calling the $50 billion economic stimulus package a “snow job.”

On Sunday Mounir el-Jagoub, a spokesman for Fatah, one of the parties of the Palestinian people, said that the plan was an attempt to waste the funds of Arab countries to “to kill the political aspirations of the Palestinian people.” Many Palestinians have criticized the United States for attempting to focus on economics before larger questions of statehood, accusing the country of trying to draw attention away from the necessity of a political solution.

Kushner’s plan was unveiled days before a summit of Middle Eastern leaders is set to take place in Bahrain to discuss peace in the region. The American-led conference has been widely protested by Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza. Demonstrators took to the streets to oppose the West’s interference in peace talks, as many individuals in both the United States and the Palestinian territories have criticized the Trump administration for being pro-Israel. The protests mark a moment of rare unity among Palestinians, as residents of both the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the Fatah-controlled West Bank marched against the United States, burning pictures of President Donald Trump and chanting “Down with Trump.”

Palestinian figures have called the Bahrain conference a sham put on by America to appear impartial and have refused to acknowledge it or send any representatives. Many Palestinians have called for the total boycott of the summit, accusing any Palestinians who attend of betraying their people. Due to the absence of Palestinian representatives, it is almost certain that the meeting will not make any progress towards brokering peace between Israel and Palestine.

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Palestinians have been advocating for the creation of a Palestinian state for years, ever since Israel was established in 1948. Claiming that the predominantly Jewish country stole their land in 1948 and continued to steal land as Israel annexed more and more territory over the years, Palestinians have asserted that they are being repressed by the Jewish state and that they deserve a nation of their own. However, a lack of unity within both Palestinian and Israeli groups has made it nearly impossible to reach a consensus on the fate of the Palestinians. The diplomatic deadlock has grown even worse as tensions escalate between the two groups, with the militaristic Hamas launching missiles from Gaza into Israel. The United States has repeatedly attempted to broker a peace deal between the two peoples, using its economic and diplomatic muscle to get concessions from the surrounding Arab nations. The negotiations continue to disappoint, making many wonder whether there will ever be peace between Israel and Palestine.