Kushner kicks off Middle East peace conference

The Trump administration began hosting a conference in the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain on Tuesday to promote its plan for peace in the Middle East. The two-day “Peace to Prosperity” gathering is an effort to convince countries in the region and investors to send $50 billion over 10 years to the Palestinian territories and surrounding areas in an “economy first” approach. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner leads the effort.

Kushner told Reuters he is aware many past attempts at peace have failed but urged everyone to “keep an open mind.” Representatives from the Israeli and Palestinian governments are not taking part in the conference. Palestinian officials have argued that the economic plan does not address the core political issues of the conflict. The political portion of the Trump administration’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan may be unveiled in the fall.

The Trump administration is seeking to divvy up the money, with about $28 billion going toward Palestinian territories, $7.5 billion to Jordan, $9 billion to Egypt, and $6 billion to Lebanon. Most of the funds are earmarked for infrastructure and business projects.