There is little enthusiasm among U.S. allies for Kushner’s planned Mideast conference at the end of June, 2019. In accepting the invitation to the Bahrain conference, Gulf countries have been careful to express solidarity with the Palestinians but have also signaled flexibility. A majority of the population has Palestinian roots, and the kingdom borders the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the heartland of any future Palestinian state. But his few public statements have indicated they will focus heavily on so-called economic peace while sidelining or ignoring the longstanding Palestinian goal of independence. Saeb Erekat, a top Palestinian official, noted this week that the Palestinians were not even consulted about the Bahrain conference.

Source: Washington Post May 28, 2019 16:33 UTC