Trump Turns His Attention to Peace in the Middle East

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Trump’s administration will roll out their long-delayed plan next month for achieving peace in the Middle East. It’s possible that the plan will alienate the Palestinians even more by cutting millions of dollars in funding for development and humanitarian projects in Gaza and the West Bank.

What Can We Expect?

Five U.S. officials and a congressional assistant announced that the administration is planning to release their peace plan in the second half of June. This will come shortly after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. According to them, Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt are the main authors of the plan. Kushner is a senior adviser and Trump’s son-in-law.  Greenblatt is a special envoy for international negotiations. They have already begun to meet selected partners and allies on details of the proposal.

However, it is a question of whether the Palestinians will be ready to accept any new plan. Trump recently moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. He also pulled out of the nuclear deal with Iran. Hopefully, Palestinian anger over the decisions will dissipate over the next month. Palestinians also claim the evidence shows Trump to be one-sided in favor of Israel. Allies of the U.S. in The Persian Gulf and Europe are also criticizing the administration on their approach. Experts recommend that Trump’s administration consider involving those countries to build momentum for the peace plan to succeed.

Words from USAID

The U.S. Agency for International Development said that the administration is reviewing how the U.S. can assist the Palestinians at the moment. They added that USAID is in negotiations with all affected partners.