This Is What Kushner’s Plan for the Palestinian Economy Looks Like

T. Belman.  I don’t like this plan. I like the Jordan Option

Ahead of Bahrain conference, Kushner shares key points of Middle East plan which envisions major financial support from Gulf states to go to West Bank, Gaza and neighboring countries

HAARETZ

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is interviewed by Reuters at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, U.S., June 20, 2019.White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is interviewed by Reuters at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, U.S., June 20, 2019. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is to formally unveil the first part of his Middle East peace plan during a Bahrain conference next week, outlining a path for development of the fragile economies of the Palestinian territories and three neighboring Arab countries.

The following are some facts about the “economic vision,” drawn from White House documents reviewed by Reuters and described exclusively by Kushner and his aides, who are hoping to gain traction for their proposals during the June 25-26 gathering:

>> Trump’s Mideast plan: $50 billion for Palestinian projects, travel corridor between West Bank and Gaza ? Trump’s Bahrain conference – not what you imagined ? Jared Kushner’s ‘paradigm-busting’ Mideast peace deal just won’t work ? Getting Jordan and Egypt to Bahrain was an American achievement — but it might be Trump’s only one 

– Donor nations and investors would contribute about $50 billion, with $28 billion going to the Palestinian territories of the West Bankand Gaza, $7.5 billion to Jordan, $9 billion to Egypt and $6 billion for Lebanon. The White House hopes wealthy Gulf states will be among the biggest donors. Kushner told Reuters the United States would also consider contributing.

– Money raised through this international effort would be placed in a newly created fund to boost the economies of the Palestinian areas and those three countries. It would be administered by a multinational development bank. The funds would be managed by an appointed board of governors who would determine allocation based on project proposals.

– $15 billion of the total would come from grants, $25 billion in subsidized loans, and about $11 billion would come in through private capital.

– 179 economic development projects would be funded, including 147 for the West Bank and Gaza, 15 for Jordan, 12 for Egypt, and 5 for Lebanon.

– The projects include infrastructure, water, power, telecommunications, tourism and medical facilities, among others.

– Tens of millions of dollars would be set aside for several projects intended to draw closer connections between the Gaza Strip and Egypt’s Sinai through services, infrastructure and trade.

– Power lines from Egypt into Gaza would be upgraded and rehabilitated to increase the flow of electricity. It also proposes exploring ways to better use existing Egyptian industrial zones to promote trade between Egypt, Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, but does not identify the zones.

– Further proposals for Egypt are to “support port expansion and business incentives for the Egyptian trade hub near the Suez Canal,” as well as to develop Sinai tourism facilities near the Red Sea.

– The plan touts for Palestinian areas the “potential to transform into a successful global tourism destination,” and proposes $950 million in grants and loans to develop the Palestinian tourism industry. It seeks to “repair and restore historical and religious sites and beachfront areas.”

– If carried out, the plan would double Palestinian gross domestic product in 10 years, create more than 1 million jobs in the West Bank and Gaza, reduce unemployment to single digits and the poverty rate by 50 percent, according to the documents and officials.

– Kushner is taking a two-phased approach to the Trump Middle East peace plan. The next phase will be the much more sensitive political part, which deals with some of the core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The timing for that remains unclear.

– Kushner wants to get feedback on his plan from the various finance ministers and investment institution representatives who will attend the workshop and gauge what tweaks might be needed to gain it broader support.

June 22, 2019 | 9 Comments »

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  1. If it’s violence give the sodomites a reason, close the T.M. for 3 days, Jews only, in large groups, notime less than a 1000 Jews atop T.M prayers at appropriate time’s and continual shofer blowing.. every 100th person to carry state flsg.

  2. Kushner is repeating the same mistake

    The Muslims behind many terror attacks are successful and middle class.

    The real obstacle to peace was and is Palestinian fantasies of destroying Israel. They hope to move to Haifa, Jaffa, Tel-Aviv even if they have never set foot there. They hope to drive the Jews out of Jerusalem, Tiberias and Safed. The conflict is not about poverty.

  3. The Pal-Arab organizations including Fatah, PA, PLO, Hamas…. all want to destroy Israel not make peace with. It is not economics or border adjustments it is the very existence of Israel they want to destroy. It is a religious war against the Jews and Israel which they consider Islamic Land.

    Religious War

    ?”Our war with the descendants of the apes and pigs (i.e., Jews) is a war of ?religion and faith. Long Live Fatah!”
    [Official PA TV, Jan. 9, 2012] ?

    Islamic War against Jews
    An integral part of this Palestinian Islamization are the PA teachings that Islam is at ?war with Jews. As cited above, the PA promotes hateful demonization and libels, which ?it bolsters with religious teachings that depict Jews as Satan, monkeys, pigs and the ?enemy of Allah. One poem that has become popular in the PA includes the words “our ?enemy, Zion, is Satan with a tail.” This poem has been recited by young children and ?adults multiple times on PA TV.

    The PA promotion of demonization is integrally linked to the PA’s promotion of ?violence and terror against Jews. The poem cited above depicting Jews as “most evil ?among creations… barbaric apes… wretched pigs” ended with these verses motivating ?violence against Jews: ?
    ?“As long as my heart is my Quran and my city
    As long as I have my arm and my stones
    As long as I am free and do not barter my cause
    I will not fear your throngs
    My belt is around my waist, and my rifle is on my shoulder.”?
    ?[Official PA TV, Sept. 12, 2014]

    Full article with videos and in-depth evidence of the religious nature of the Pal-Arabs religious basis of the conflict go to: http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=1061

  4. Fatah calls for violence against Israel
    during Bahrain Conference

    US Deal of the Century coined “The Holocaust of the Century,”
    by Palestinian group

    * Fatah calls for violence:
    “On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, June 24, 25, and 26, 2019
    An escalation of the confrontations with the Israeli occupation in all districts of the homeland as a sign of opposition to the Deal of the Century and the workshop in Manama [in Bahrain]”

    * Fatah official threatens violence:
    “The great plot… will push our Palestinian people to protect its rights by all means available to it”

    * Fatah official:
    “The Fatah members and the vital forces on the Palestinian lands [should dedicate] the 24th, 25th, and 26th [of June] to Palestine and Jerusalem, in order to express their rejection of the Bahrain Conference”

    * Director of anti-Bahrain Conference event:
    “The Zionist-American ‘Holocaust of the century’ has come to eliminate the Palestinian cause, and in order to pass this, it was necessary to convene the Bahrain conference for Arab normalization with the Israeli racism, under the cover of ‘the illusion of economic prosperity'”

    http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=27736

  5. The Pal-Arab organizations one and all do not want to make peace with Israel. They are not concerned with their economies. In fact during the conference not only is the PA not intending they are openly saying they want violence to occur during the conference in Bahrain. The USA knows this because they have told their employees not venture into Judea/Samaria during the time of the conference.

    One of the things in this plan that will not occur is bridge and road from Gaza to Judea/Samaria. Hamas dream being able to send weapons and fighters from to the other.

    Trump mean’s well but this is going to stir up violence with NO possible positive outcome. He also hopes he is going to negotiate Iran out of their nuke plans and missile development. Wrong again only way to achieve that is bomb them out of it.

  6. Perfectly correct comment. Its all to do with Islamic theology– about Israel occupying a past Islamic entity which they still consider theirs by virtue of past conquest. I am pleased to see that the Saudis are more pragmatic.

  7. @ Bear Klein:
    Bear said,
    “The conflict is not about economics it is that the Pal-Arabs want to destroy Israel.”

    I don”t think so. It’s not about what the Pals, the Jordanians or any other people want. It’s what the rulers want; and what they want is power. For Jared Kushner, power comes from delivering what President Trump wants. His MO seems to be,

    Kohelet 10:
    [19b] money answers everything

  8. Why is everyone so upset and confused about Israel’s borders – it’s the smallest land of all, with zero earthly resources, not even water, and 80% desert. Try this:
    UNIQUE COMMAND NOT TO OCCUPY ANOTHER’S PEOPLES’ LAND, NOT EVEN A CUBIT ON ISRAEL’S AMMEDIATE BORDERS:
    Duet. 2/4: “And command thou the people, saying: Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you; take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore; 5 contend not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.”Bear Klein Said:

    Pie in the sky. Completely unrealistic.
    The conflict is not about economics it is that the Pal-Arabs want to destroy Israel.
    Trump’s clearly does not get this.
    Israel needs to create unilateral actions that work in its favor. Victory of the Pal-Arabs is the only correct course of action. Sovereignty in Judea/Samaria and working on plans to assist the voluntary emigration of Pal-Arabs from there and Gaza.

  9. Pie in the sky. Completely unrealistic.

    The conflict is not about economics it is that the Pal-Arabs want to destroy Israel.

    Trump’s clearly does not get this.

    Israel needs to create unilateral actions that work in its favor. Victory of the Pal-Arabs is the only correct course of action. Sovereignty in Judea/Samaria and working on plans to assist the voluntary emigration of Pal-Arabs from there and Gaza.