Jared Kushner says progress is being made on Mideast peace plan
In an exclusive interview, senior White House adviser Jared Kushner tells Fox News that he has received positive feedback from Palestinians; Trey Yingst reports from Manama, Bahrain.
Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, blasted the Palestinian leadership for acting “hysterical and erratic” after refusing to participate in the peace conference in Bahrain.
Kushner, who heads the Trump administration’s efforts to find a solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, made the comment Wednesday during a conference call, Axios first reported.
JARED KUSHNER SAYS SUCCESSFUL MIDEAST PEACE PLAN WILL BE ‘IRAN’S WORST NIGHTMARE’
He said that Palestinian officials also made a “strategic mistake” by not participating in the conference in Bahrain a week ago, attended by officials and business leaders across the Arab world, where he unveiled the economics part of the peace plan.
“The door is always open for the Palestinian leadership. ... If they stop saying crazy things and engage, they will see there is an opportunity here,” Kushner said. “We respect President Abbas and we believe he wants to make peace, and we want to give him the opportunity to try and do it.”
“The door is always open for the Palestinian leadership. ... If they stop saying crazy things and engage, they will see there is an opportunity here.”
The proposed economic development plan aims to raise $50 billion for the Palestinian economy and offers “an ambitious, achievable vision and framework for a prosperous future for the Palestinian people and the region,” Axios reported.
TRUMP’S MIDEAST PEACE PLAN HINGES ON $50B INVESTMENT, OFFERS PALESTINIANS DEAL OF ‘THE CENTURY’
The White House likened the deal to a Marshall Plan for Palestinians and said it was an “opportunity of the century.”
The $50 billion would be raised with $15 billion in grants, $25 billion in low-interest loans and $11 billion in private capital.
The U.S. will consider making a large investment to the funding, along with other countries, but everything is contingent on the agreement of a good governance mechanism. The hope is that the money can’t be siphoned off by corrupt politicians or be misappropriated and given to the families of terrorists – a tactic used openly by the Palestinians.
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Meanwhile, the political part of the peace plan, which will likely be met with controversy, was reportedly pushed back and it remains unclear when exactly it will be released.
Fox News' Ben Evansky contributed to this report.
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