European Union Emphasizes Need for U.S. Peace Plan to Include Political Elements

The European Union appeared to pour cold water on U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict incrementally, ahead of a scheduled workshop later this month in Bahrain where the economic elements of the proposal are meant to be unveiled. “The economic development of the whole [Middle East] is crucial. It must be accompanied by a viable political solution that takes into account the legitimate aspirations of both the Palestinians and the Israelis and the agreed international parameters,” an EU statement read in part. The missive was released after Jared Kushner, who has been spearheading the White House’s peace push, briefed EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the bloc’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on details of the plan. The U.S. administration has reportedly delayed the release of the core political dimensions of the initiative – such as the delineation of borders, the future status of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees – until 2020, when President Trump will be in full campaign mode. Many believe that the U.S. leader may choose to shelve the second part of the proposal altogether, as a major diplomatic failure ahead of presidential elections could negatively impact on his bid for a second term in office. According to insiders, the peace plan may to fall short of calling for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, upending decades of U.S. policy, and could green-light Israel’s annexation of some Jewish communities located in the West Bank. Recent statements by key U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, suggest that the White House is lowering expectations due to its inability to garner sufficient support for the proposal from world powers Russia and China, in addition to regional states such as Egypt and Jordan. In a leaked recording earlier this week, Pompeo conceded that the American peace plan could be “unexecutable,” to which President Trump responded: “He may be right.”