White House's Kushner unveils economic portion of Middle East peace plan

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: Reuters

The White House on Saturday outlined a $50 billion Middle East economic plan that would create a global investment fund to lift the Palestinian and neighbouring Arab state economies, and fund a $5 billion(3.92 billion pounds) transportation corridor to connect the West Bank and Gaza.

The “peace to prosperity” plan, set to be presented by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner at an international conference in Bahrain next week, includes 179 infrastructure and business projects, according to details of the plan and interviews with U.S. officials. The approach towards reviving the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process was criticised by the Palestinians on Saturday.

The ambitious economic revival plan, the product of two years of work by Kushner and other aides, would take place only if a political solution to the region’s long-running problems is reached.
...
Veteran Palestinian negotiator Hanan Ashrawi dismissed the proposals on Saturday, saying: “These are all intentions, these are all abstract promises” and said only a political solution would solve the conflict.

Read more: https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-israel-palestinians-plan-exclusive/exclusive-white-houses-kushner-unveils-economic-portion-of-middle-east-peace-plan-idUKKCN1TN0EX

[Thomas Hurt]

1. Why would the Israelis want a strong and vibrant economy in the Palestinian terriority?

[Thomas Hurt]

16. not all of them...don't think Netanyahu does.

[dawg day]

2. Two years work, and they come up with an enterprise zone?

>The ambitious economic revival plan, the product of two years of work by Kushner and other aides, would take place only if a political solution to the region’s long-running problems is reached. >

That's a pretty big "only if'.
"We can enact this as soon as you guys resolve this 70-year long dispute!"

And of course the only thing "businessman Kushner" can come up with is throwing money at it (and not much money at that). Peace and equality and control -- someone else can figure that out.

[Scarsdale]

18. I wonder how much

Kushner will take "off the top"?

[Fritz Walter]

29. I'm reminded of Maslow's Law of the Instrument

It goes like this:

"I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail."

The only tool in JarJar Kushner's tool box is a half-baked investment plan, and nobody in the Middle East is buying it. And I really don't see the Russians baling him out again, like they did at 666 Fifth Avenue.

[dalton99a]

3. Boy Wonder Brings Peace to Middle East

[Bev54]

4. Kushner is a fraud

Kushner is a fraud in everything he does, he knows nothing and is incompetent. After reading the Manafort/Hannity text messages, I would venture a guess that Kushner is going down big. It was likely that it was he that was the liaison to Russian Oligarchs more so than Manafort. Some of those texts are still sealed because of ongoing investigations. I sure hope we see an indictment soon.

[Mr.Bill]

5. And meanwhile, we cut funding to Central American countries.

Of course, probably no one in any Central American country handed billions to Kushner to bail him out of his disastrous real estate ventures.

[SharonAnn]

9. Exactly my thinking.

[Hoyt]

6. Economic improvement is a key to Middle East, although I don't think Kush's plan

is what is needed. If we think terrorism, inhumanity, etc., is bad now, wait until there is little oil income.

[RHMerriman]

8. Actually, what is needed is pluralism

Actually, what is needed is pluralism...

as in E pluribus unum.

or to put it another way:

United we stand, divided we fall.

Until the various peoples who live today in the eastern Mediterranean littoral accept that, there's no chance for a lasting peace, much less any sort of future for their children.

Given the history of the region over the past century, and how much it has been an arena for great power politics where the interests of those who actually live, work, love, and die there have been secondary at best, the odds against that reality ever being accepted are high.

However, the United States would be well-served by withdrawing from that particular contest, and re-establishing itself as a disinterested party.

Whether such a withdrawal is realistic, of course, is a different question.

[Progressive Jones]

11. And cut off the flow of cash to the biggest "welfare queen" of the US? Preposterous! NT

[RHMerriman]

20. I did say whether such a withdrawal is realistic, of course, is a different question.

I did say whether such a withdrawal is realistic, of course, is a different question...

[Lonestarblue]

7. A political solution is needed, not another big business deal.

This is the result of putting political neophytes in charge of a peace plan. When experienced negotiators and diplomats have been unable to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, no one should expect Kushner to do so.

And, of course, the Palestinians no longer trust the US to be a fair broker between the two parties because the US has heavily favored Israel with all d and military equipment, and tacit approval of their continued taking of Palestinian land in the West Bank. I’m not sure who would be an honest broker now, perhaps France or Germany, but it’s certainly not the US.

[RHMerriman]

10. Given the legacies of past French and German foreign policies toward the peoples of

Given the legacies of past French and German foreign policies toward the peoples of Southwest Asia over the past century, probably not.

In terms of current players in the international community, given the region's history as an arena of great power politics since the end of the Ottoman Empire, there aren't many major economic powers left on the world stage without baggage... certainly not the US, Russia, China, or any of the European powers. Even India, given the realities of the Indo-Pakistani conflicts since WW II, can't really be seen as not having a interest to the served.

Among the top 10 by GDP, maybe Japan, although Japan's reliance on oil from Southwest Asia would be an issue. Same for Brazil.

Going into the second tier, possibly the ROK, Mexico, Indonesia, and Switzerland...

So there's (maybe) a team - six negotiators, Japan, Brazil, the ROK, Mexico, Indonesia, and Switzerland.

Don't know if they'd do any better than the US, Europeans, Israelis, and Arabs have over the past decades, but presumably they can't do any worse.

[pecosbob]

12. Why do I have the feeling that somewhere the deal will involve pipelines?

[Tech]

13. I would like to see how the kushners and trumps profit from this.

[RHMerriman]

21. The best solution is one person, one vote, to include all the adults in Israel, the Palestinian

The best solution is one person, one vote, to elect a representative constitutional assembly, and from an electorate tat includes all the adults in Israel, the Palestinian Authority territories, and the refugees, overseen by the UN and international community, notably by countries - unlike the US, Russians, or Europeans - that have long histories in the region.

Not an option Maj. Gen. Eiland advocated, of course, but that's not surprising.

[RHMerriman]

23. And yet, pluralistic societies are generally much more successful than those that are not

Not exactly a detailed response, but okay, are you suggesting pluralism by definition is "stupid and kinda anti-Semitic?"

If so, in what way?

[RHMerriman]

25. And so opinions are worth what the offeror is willing to provide to support them...

And so opinions are worth what the offeror is willing to provide to support them...Noted.

Not all Israelis are Jews, true; neither are all Jews Israelis.

Conflating Judaism with Israeli government policy is stupidity defined.

The best policies for the United States regarding the policies of the nations of Israel, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, etc. has nothing to do with what religion the majority of those living in any of those nations practice.

Arguing otherwise is the definition of stupidity.

[Maxheader]

17. 50,000,000,000$

Will make the kings and queens of those countries...richer...
And the poor?...Won't see a thing...

If the oil czars won't enhance their own economy, why would
giving them more money help?..

[yaesu]

19. wonder how many tRump towers it will fund. nt

[greatauntoftriplets]

26. Seems a bit odd that it was released on a Saturday.

I realize that the Bahrain conference is imminent, but the timing seems like they were sneaking it in when people weren't paying attention.

[muriel_volestrangler]

27. The reviews are in, and they're pretty brutal:

Link to tweet

"Jared Kushner just unveiled the economic part of his Middle East peace plan. Surprise: it reads like a real estate marketing prospectus." (NYT White House correspondent)

"Jared Kushner and his colleagues have said they will change the paradigm of Middle East peacemaking. They seem to succeeded at doing this, by excluding Palestinians and now Israelis from their undertaking. This is likely to be the only thing they succeed at. (Richard Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations)

Link to tweet

"Regardless of what Kushner says:

• Palestinian leadership opposes his plan
• Jordan government, a Israel/US ally, opposes it
• Not clear whether Gulf would pay for it" (Turkey correspondent, Middle East Eye)

Link to tweet

"I don’t understand why Jared Kushner thinks a) Gulf states will really put up the $ for this & b) Israel would allow any or all of it. Why would Israel let there be a transit link between Gaza & the West Bank? It would view much of this as a security risk." (Foreign Affairs reporter for Politico)

Link to tweet

"I guess my brief reaction to this document is that it is superficial, unimpressive, and also depressing. It's important to try new approaches to old problems. But this plan doesn't suggest a new approach. It is ahistorical. It suggests a repetition of failed past attempts...
and that's on top of the deeper, even fundamental, problems w/ this administration's approach: the plan's absence of any reference to the ACTUAL POLITICAL situation in WB & G, and to the nature of the conflict w/ Israel....
and how this administration has already set back a just resolution to the conflict w/ its actions on Jerusalem, refugees, Golan, cutting off aid, closing USAID WBG, closing PLO mission in DC, denying visas, etc." (Research director, Project on Middle East Democracy)

via https://www.balloon-juice.com/2019/06/22/foreign-policy-open-thread-jared-kushner-will-bring-peace-to-the-middle-east/

[Cryptoad]

28. Wasicu believe that,,,,,

everything is a matter of $$$$$$$$$$$.