US to hold economic workshop in June as part of Middle East peace plan

The White House on Sunday announced that it will hold an "economic workshop" in Bahrain in June for the development of Palestinian communities and other parts of the Arab world as part of its Middle East peace plan.

"This workshop is a pivotal opportunity to convene government, civil society and business leaders to share ideas, discuss strategies and galvanize support for potential economic investments and initiatives that could be made possible by a peace agreement," the White House said in a statement.

The workshop, scheduled to be held in capital city Manama on June 25 and 26, is a part of US President Donald Trump's peace deal, prepared by his son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner.

However, the statement had no mention of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, the Hill reported.

So far the speculation is that the deal does not include a two-state solution, which was promoted by several countries.

Various analysts have claimed that the US is framing the deal keeping its ally Israel's interests in mind.

France's outgoing ambassador to the US, Gerard Araud, had claimed, "The US peace deal for Israel-Palestine conflict will be "very close to what the Israelis want," and 99 per cent "doomed to fail".

He had also claimed that Trump has, so far, been "uniquely" successful to "push the Israelis".

Meanwhile, Kushner has clarified that the full plan will not be released until at least June.

"People are letting their grandfathers' conflict destroy their children's futures. This will present an exciting, realistic and viable pathway forward that does not currently exist," he said.

West Bank is a disputed territory, with Israel and Palestine claiming it equally. Over 400,000 Jews live in West Bank settlements. Another 200,000-plus live in East Jerusalem neighbourhoods annexed by Israel after the 1967 war.