Economic Prosperity For Palestinians Impossible Without Fair Political Solution - Kushner

Palestinians will not be able to achieve growth and economic prosperity until they reach an enduring and fair peace agreement with Israel, Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner said on Tuesday in Bahrain as he unveiled part of the Trump administration's plan to end the Middle East conflict

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th June, 2019) Palestinians will not be able to achieve growth and economic prosperity until they reach an enduring and fair peace agreement with Israel, Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner said on Tuesday in Bahrain as he unveiled part of the Trump administration's plan to end the Middle East conflict.

"To be clear, economic growth and prosperity for the Palestinian people are not possible without an enduring and fair political solution to the conflict. One that guarantees Israel's security and respects the dignity of the Palestinian people," Kushner said. "However, today is not about the political issues. We'll get to those at the right time."

Kushner was speaking at an international conference in Manama as he outlined the economic portion of what President Donald Trump has called the "deal of the century," the US plan to achieve Palestinian-Israeli peace.

The conference seeks to solicit donations from Arab and other countries to finance $50 billion worth of investment projects in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon.

Palestinians are boycotting the conference, with Palestine's President Mahmoud Abbas calling the US proposal the "prosperity instead of peace" plan.

The plan, Kushner said, aims to unleash the economic potential of the West Bank and Gaza by promoting capital investments, improving education and heath care and enhancing governance structures.

Within 10 years, the blueprint seeks to more than double Palestine's gross domestic product, create more than 1 million jobs and reduce Palestinian unemployment by 50 percent, Kushner said.

For decades, Palestinians have sought recognition of their independent state in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Israeli government has refused to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity and continues to build settlements in the occupied areas, despite objections from the United Nations.