Several rockets were fired Wednesday from the Gaza Strip at Israel, which responded by striking Hamas military positions in the enclave, the Israeli army said.

The afternoon exchange came a day after rockets fired from the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-attacks-gaza-targets-following-drone-raid-248492">Palestinian territory</a> towards the Israeli city of Ashdod forced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to flee the stage during a campaign rally.

"Three projectiles were launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel," the Israeli army said in a statement, adding that sirens were triggered in nearby Israeli communities.

In response, it added, a "tank struck two Hamas military posts in the northern Gaza Strip."

The strikes were confirmed by a security source in Gaza, which is controlled by the Islamist movement Hamas.

There were no immediate reports of any injuries.

Overnight Tuesday the Israeli army struck 15 sites it said belonged to Hamas in the northern and central Gaza Strip.

It said the strikes were in response to the rockets fired towards Ashdod which forced Netanyahu to cut short a speech.

The right-wing premier is campaigning for re-election on September 17 parliamentary polls.

On Tuesday Netanyahu announced his intention to annex a large part of the occupied West Bank if re-elected.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008. 
&nbsp;

Several rockets were fired Wednesday from the Gaza Strip at Israel, which responded by striking Hamas military positions in the enclave, the Israeli army said. The afternoon exchange came a day after rockets fired from the Palestinian territory towards the Israeli city of Ashdod forced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to flee the stage during a campaign rally.

Several rockets were fired Wednesday from the Gaza Strip at Israel, which responded by striking Hamas military positions in the enclave, the Israeli army said. The afternoon exchange came a day after rockets fired from the Palestinian territory towards the Israeli city of Ashdod forced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to flee the stage during a campaign rally. "Three projectiles were launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel," the Israeli army said in a statement, adding that sirens were triggered in nearby Israeli communities. In response, it added, a "tank struck two Hamas military posts in the northern Gaza Strip." The strikes were confirmed by a security source in Gaza, which is controlled by the Islamist movement Hamas. There were no immediate reports of any injuries. Overnight Tuesday the Israeli army struck 15 sites it said belonged to Hamas in the northern and central Gaza Strip. It said the strikes were in response to the rockets fired towards Ashdod which forced Netanyahu to cut short a speech. The right-wing premier is campaigning for re-election on September 17 parliamentary polls. On Tuesday Netanyahu announced his intention to annex a large part of the occupied West Bank if re-elected. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.

Israel has struck Hamas after Gaza rocket fire: Army

It's clear that Israel will not jeopardise its ties with India at any cost. There is a good case to make in favour of this question. Let's address the question with reference to context. The Muslim world has not turned its back on Pakistan on the Kashmir issue but countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE have made it clear that they consider the Kashmir issue as India's internal matter.

Besides - they have also endorsed India's terms of engagement with Pakistan. The India-Pakistan issue is a bilateral issue, that's the consensus of the Arab world.

Russia too has a similar stance on Kashmir but countries like Russia, UAE and Saudi Arabia are playing the balancing act. These countries want to ensure strong ties with Islamabad, but they won't take on strategic partners like India.

It brings to mind another country which received symbolic support and little else - &nbsp;Palestine. There are 31 countries in the world that openly support the Palestinian cause. All these countries have not recognised Israel but not one of these countries have come to the rescue of the Palestinians.

This is because these countries are afraid of derailing ties with Israel. Even countries like Saudi Arabia view Iran as the enemy, not Israel. The importance of Israel has practically drained out all support for the Palestine cause.

Pakistan is at a similar stage. Islamabad wants to forge strong ties with Israel and Russia. Pakistan thinks such relationships would lend support for its stance against India but it's clear that no country in the world would choose Pakistan over India. Firstly, India is a huge economy with great potential to lead global growth and the Indian market is a source of opportunity for all countries.

India is a vibrant democracy with a growing stature in the global arena. India also practises non-alignment, in letter and spirit and has proven peace credentials. India is simply too big to ignore, siding with India has great strategic benefits - economic and non-economic. On the contrary - Pakistan is a failing economy, their democracy is in a shambles and the state controls the government.

The contrasting fortunes of India and Pakistan reveal one thing for sure - Pakistan is getting overlooked by the world.

(Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

It's clear that Israel will not jeopardise its ties with India at any cost. There is a good case to make in favour of this question. Let's address the question with reference to context.

It's clear that Israel will not jeopardise its ties with India at any cost. There is a good case to make in favour of this question. Let's address the question with reference to context. The Muslim world has not turned its back on Pakistan on the Kashmir issue but countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE have made it clear that they consider the Kashmir issue as India's internal matter. Besides - they have also endorsed India's terms of engagement with Pakistan. The India-Pakistan issue is a bilateral issue, that's the consensus of the Arab world. Russia too has a similar stance on Kashmir but countries like Russia, UAE and Saudi Arabia are playing the balancing act. These countries want to ensure strong ties with Islamabad, but they won't take on strategic partners like India. It brings to mind another country which received symbolic support and little else - Palestine. There are 31 countries in the world that openly support the Palestinian cause. All these countries have not recognised Israel but not one of these countries have come to the rescue of the Palestinians. This is because these countries are afraid of derailing ties with Israel. Even countries like Saudi Arabia view Iran as the enemy, not Israel. The importance of Israel has practically drained out all support for the Palestine cause. Pakistan is at a similar stage. Islamabad wants to forge strong ties with Israel and Russia. Pakistan thinks such relationships would lend support for its stance against India but it's clear that no country in the world would choose Pakistan over India. Firstly, India is a huge economy with great potential to lead global growth and the Indian market is a source of opportunity for all countries. India is a vibrant democracy with a growing stature in the global arena. India also practises non-alignment, in letter and spirit and has proven peace credentials. India is simply too big to ignore, siding with India has great strategic benefits - economic and non-economic. On the contrary - Pakistan is a failing economy, their democracy is in a shambles and the state controls the government. The contrasting fortunes of India and Pakistan reveal one thing for sure - Pakistan is getting overlooked by the world. (Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

WION Edit: Is Pakistan the new Palestine?

A controversial former security official and Abu Dhabi-based political operator, Mohammed Dahlan, has lurked for several years in the shadows of Palestinian politics. Now, he could emerge as a monkey wrench in an attempt to pave the way for US President Donald J Trump’s much-maligned ‘deal of the century’ to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

President Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestine Authority, and Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, have condemned the proposed, yet to be published deal and boycotted a conference in Bahrain in June organised by Jared Kushner, Trump’s negotiator and son-in-law, that focussed on economic aspects of the proposal.

The Palestinian boycott followed Abbas’ earlier rejection of the United States as a mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after the Trump administration recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, cut off funding and closed down the Palestinian representation in Washington. Trump has since recognised the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as part of Israel.

Kushner unveiled at the conference, attended by government officials and businessmen from the Gulf, the United States, Europe and Asia, a $50 billion investment plan, $28 billion of which would be earmarked for the creation of Palestinian jobs and reduction of poverty.

The Trump administration has said it would release political details of the peace plan only after the September 17 Israeli election so that it does not become an issue in what appears to be a tight electoral race between prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud and former military chief Benny Gantz’s Blue and White.

Saudi and United Arab Emirates crown princes, Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed, have quietly sought to support the US peace effort that in Kushner’s words will deviate from the 2002 Arab peace plan by not calling for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Dahlan, who is believed to be close to the UAE’s Prince Mohammed as well as former Israeli defence minister Avigdor Lieberman, has played an important role in that effort, particularly with regard to UAE efforts to clip Hamas’ wings.

Dahlan went into exile in the UAE in 2007 after Hamas defeated his US-backed efforts to thwart the group’s control in Gaza. US President George W Bush described Dahlan at the time as “our boy.”

Dahlan has since been indicted by Abbas’ Palestine Authority on corruption charges.

In his latest move, Dahlan is reported to be considering the establishment of a long muted political party, a move that would enjoy UAE and Egyptian support but could divide his following in Gaza.

Some of Dahlan’s supporters in the Democratic Reform Current that remains part of Abbas’ Al Fatah movement, argued in the past that a party would further fragment the Palestinian political landscape.

The revived talk of a party appears to be fuelled by Israel’s facilitation of hundreds of millions of US dollars in Qatari support for Gaza’s health and education services as well as reconstruction.

Qatar, with its close ties to various Islamist movements, has long supported Hamas, while Prince Mohammed’s visceral opposition to any expression of political Islam has pitted the UAE against the movement.

The two states’ diametrically opposed views of political Islam lie at the core of the rift in the Gulf with the UAE alongside Saudi Arabia leading a more than two-year-old diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar.

The revived talk follows a failed 2017 effort to negotiate Dahlan’s return to Gaza in talks between Hamas, representatives of Egyptian intelligence, and the Palestinian politician.

The deal would have involved Hamas sharing power with Dahlan in exchange for a loosening of the Israeli-Egyptian economic stranglehold on the impoverished Gaza Strip at a time that Abbas was refusing to pay salaries of Gazan civil servants and Israel was reducing electricity supplies in a bid to force Hamas’ hand.

The talk of Dahlan making a political move comes against the backdrop of a broader, sustained UAE-Saudi effort to facilitate the US peace plan, despite the two states’ official insistence that East Jerusalem should be the capital of an independent Palestinian state, and counter manoeuvring in Palestine by Qatar and its, ally Turkey.&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia and the UAE sought to weaken Turkish efforts to exploit opposition to Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem to bolster its claim to leadership of the Muslim world and weaken Jordan’s role as the custodian of the Haram esh-Sharif in the city that is home to the Al Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third most holy site.

Speaking earlier this year to an Arab media outlet believed to be close to Qatar, Kamal Khatib, an Israeli Palestinian Islamist leader, asserted that Dahlan, working through local businessmen, had unsuccessfully tried to acquire real estate adjacent to the holy site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount where Judaism’s two ancient temples once stood.

With approximately half of its population of Palestinian descent, Jordan has walked a tight rope balancing its reluctance to endorse the Trump administration’s approach to Israeli-Palestinian peace-making with its complex ties to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Unlike Jordan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are not shackled by Palestinian demographics but need to tread carefully in supporting an initiative that is widely believed to be designed to deprive Palestinians of independent statehood because of domestic public sentiment and fears that it would backfire and strengthen Hamas.

A formal re-entry into Palestinian politics by Dahlan could help resolve the UAE and Saudi dilemma that is accentuated by concern that too much pressure on Abbas to reverse his rejection of US mediation could boost Hamas with its ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Said one Gulf official: “We are trying to strike a delicate balance. The key in doing so is to strengthen moderates, not extremists,” The official’s codeword for Hamas and other Islamists. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

A controversial former security official and Abu Dhabi-based political operator, Mohammed Dahlan, has lurked for several years in the shadows of Palestinian politics.

A controversial former security official and Abu Dhabi-based political operator, Mohammed Dahlan, has lurked for several years in the shadows of Palestinian politics. Now, he could emerge as a monkey wrench in an attempt to pave the way for US President Donald J Trump’s much-maligned ‘deal of the century’ to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. President Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestine Authority, and Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, have condemned the proposed, yet to be published deal and boycotted a conference in Bahrain in June organised by Jared Kushner, Trump’s negotiator and son-in-law, that focussed on economic aspects of the proposal. The Palestinian boycott followed Abbas’ earlier rejection of the United States as a mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after the Trump administration recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, cut off funding and closed down the Palestinian representation in Washington. Trump has since recognised the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as part of Israel. Kushner unveiled at the conference, attended by government officials and businessmen from the Gulf, the United States, Europe and Asia, a $50 billion investment plan, $28 billion of which would be earmarked for the creation of Palestinian jobs and reduction of poverty. The Trump administration has said it would release political details of the peace plan only after the September 17 Israeli election so that it does not become an issue in what appears to be a tight electoral race between prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud and former military chief Benny Gantz’s Blue and White. Saudi and United Arab Emirates crown princes, Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed, have quietly sought to support the US peace effort that in Kushner’s words will deviate from the 2002 Arab peace plan by not calling for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Dahlan, who is believed to be close to the UAE’s Prince Mohammed as well as former Israeli defence minister Avigdor Lieberman, has played an important role in that effort, particularly with regard to UAE efforts to clip Hamas’ wings. Dahlan went into exile in the UAE in 2007 after Hamas defeated his US-backed efforts to thwart the group’s control in Gaza. US President George W Bush described Dahlan at the time as “our boy.” Dahlan has since been indicted by Abbas’ Palestine Authority on corruption charges. In his latest move, Dahlan is reported to be considering the establishment of a long muted political party, a move that would enjoy UAE and Egyptian support but could divide his following in Gaza. Some of Dahlan’s supporters in the Democratic Reform Current that remains part of Abbas’ Al Fatah movement, argued in the past that a party would further fragment the Palestinian political landscape. The revived talk of a party appears to be fuelled by Israel’s facilitation of hundreds of millions of US dollars in Qatari support for Gaza’s health and education services as well as reconstruction. Qatar, with its close ties to various Islamist movements, has long supported Hamas, while Prince Mohammed’s visceral opposition to any expression of political Islam has pitted the UAE against the movement. The two states’ diametrically opposed views of political Islam lie at the core of the rift in the Gulf with the UAE alongside Saudi Arabia leading a more than two-year-old diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar. The revived talk follows a failed 2017 effort to negotiate Dahlan’s return to Gaza in talks between Hamas, representatives of Egyptian intelligence, and the Palestinian politician. The deal would have involved Hamas sharing power with Dahlan in exchange for a loosening of the Israeli-Egyptian economic stranglehold on the impoverished Gaza Strip at a time that Abbas was refusing to pay salaries of Gazan civil servants and Israel was reducing electricity supplies in a bid to force Hamas’ hand. The talk of Dahlan making a political move comes against the backdrop of a broader, sustained UAE-Saudi effort to facilitate the US peace plan, despite the two states’ official insistence that East Jerusalem should be the capital of an independent Palestinian state, and counter manoeuvring in Palestine by Qatar and its, ally Turkey. Saudi Arabia and the UAE sought to weaken Turkish efforts to exploit opposition to Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem to bolster its claim to leadership of the Muslim world and weaken Jordan’s role as the custodian of the Haram esh-Sharif in the city that is home to the Al Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third most holy site. Speaking earlier this year to an Arab media outlet believed to be close to Qatar, Kamal Khatib, an Israeli Palestinian Islamist leader, asserted that Dahlan, working through local businessmen, had unsuccessfully tried to acquire real estate adjacent to the holy site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount where Judaism’s two ancient temples once stood. With approximately half of its population of Palestinian descent, Jordan has walked a tight rope balancing its reluctance to endorse the Trump administration’s approach to Israeli-Palestinian peace-making with its complex ties to the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Unlike Jordan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are not shackled by Palestinian demographics but need to tread carefully in supporting an initiative that is widely believed to be designed to deprive Palestinians of independent statehood because of domestic public sentiment and fears that it would backfire and strengthen Hamas. A formal re-entry into Palestinian politics by Dahlan could help resolve the UAE and Saudi dilemma that is accentuated by concern that too much pressure on Abbas to reverse his rejection of US mediation could boost Hamas with its ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Said one Gulf official: “We are trying to strike a delicate balance. The key in doing so is to strengthen moderates, not extremists,” The official’s codeword for Hamas and other Islamists. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

UAE backs Donld Trump's 'Deal of the century' to resolve Israeli-Palestinian conflict

76 young musicians scattered across Palestine who come together to delight the audiences in Europe on the notes of the major classical composers of all times. And the musicians' excitement was palpable.

A Palestinian musical delight in Europe

Israeli forces opened fire at a group of Palestinian gunmen as they tried to cross the Gaza border, the military said on Sunday (August 18). Palestinian health officials said three of the men were killed.

Netanyahu's warning to Hamas, ''Israel could call a wide-scale operation in Gaza''

Two Israelis were injured Friday in what the Israeli army called a "terrorist" car-ramming attack near the Jewish settlement of Elazar south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.

"A terrorist ran over two civilians," an English-language army statement said.

"The civilians were injured and evacuated to the hospital for medical treatment. The terrorist was neutralised," it said.

A police statement said an off-duty policeman passing by the scene near Elazar settlement saw the alleged attacker trying to exit his vehicle, and fired at him.

Police video showed the suspect vehicle travelling at speed and veering off the road toward a bus stop.

An army spokeswoman contacted by AFP could not immediately say if the suspect was alive or dead.

Dr. Bala Miklosh, head of the trauma department at Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital, said one of the Israelis was a man aged "about 19" with serious head injuries, correcting earlier reports of his age.

"He is undergoing surgery but is not yet out of danger," he said in a video clip on Whatsapp.

A young woman less seriously injured was taken to the city's Shaare Zedek hospital.

Last week, an off-duty Israeli soldier was stabbed to death in the same area.

Two Palestinian suspects were later arrested.

Two Israelis were injured Friday in what the Israeli army called a "terrorist" car-ramming attack near the Jewish settlement of Elazar south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.

Two Israelis were injured Friday in what the Israeli army called a "terrorist" car-ramming attack near the Jewish settlement of Elazar south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. "A terrorist ran over two civilians," an English-language army statement said. "The civilians were injured and evacuated to the hospital for medical treatment. The terrorist was neutralised," it said. A police statement said an off-duty policeman passing by the scene near Elazar settlement saw the alleged attacker trying to exit his vehicle, and fired at him. Police video showed the suspect vehicle travelling at speed and veering off the road toward a bus stop. An army spokeswoman contacted by AFP could not immediately say if the suspect was alive or dead. Dr. Bala Miklosh, head of the trauma department at Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital, said one of the Israelis was a man aged "about 19" with serious head injuries, correcting earlier reports of his age. "He is undergoing surgery but is not yet out of danger," he said in a video clip on Whatsapp. A young woman less seriously injured was taken to the city's Shaare Zedek hospital. Last week, an off-duty Israeli soldier was stabbed to death in the same area. Two Palestinian suspects were later arrested.

2 Israelis, Palestinian assailant hurt in West Bank car ramming: Army

This segment of WION brings to you top stories of the morning from across the globe. Watch this video to get updated with the latest information.

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - July 14th, 2019

White House senior adviser <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-middle-east-adviser-kushner-to-meet-european-union-leaders-224272">Jared Kushner</a> said on Wednesday that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-doing-spectacular-job-donald-trump-231336">US President Donald Trump</a> is fond of Palestinian President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mahmoud-abbas-regains-health-could-be-discharged-by-tomorrow-138733">Mahmoud Abbas</a> and willing to engage with him, but Abbas was cool to the gesture.

In a conference call with reporters, Kushner said, "Our door is always open" to the Palestinians.

The Palestinians have refused to talk to Kushner and other architects of a US peace initiative unveiled at a Bahrain workshop last week. Kushner at the Manama conference outlined a $50 billion economic revival plan for the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon that is dependent on Israel and the Palestinians reaching a political settlement to their decades-old conflict.

Trump's proposals to settling the thorny political issues remain secret and are to be released later this year. There are doubts among Palestinians as to whether his plan will include the long-standing goal of a "two-state solution" - Israel and Palestine existing side by side in peace.

"President Trump is very fond of President Abbas," Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law, said. "He likes him very much personally. And at the right time if they’re willing to engage I believe that they’ll find that they’ll have an opportunity. Whether they will be willing to take that opportunity will be up to them."

Abbas, asked about Kushner's remarks in Ramallah, said he would resume dialogue with the United States should the latter assert its recognition of the two-state solution and the right of Palestinian refugees to return.

"You want a dialogue? If yes, then you need to recognize the two-state solution and that east Jerusalem is occupied and that the international legitimacy is the ground for any dialogue," Abbas said during an event at his Ramallah office in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

"Send me those words on a piece of paper and the next day I will show up at the White House. Otherwise, no," he said. "Therefore, we are not closing doors with the United States, we are keeping the door narrowly open. If they like it, they are welcome," he added.

In comments likely to raise concerns among Palestinians, Kushner hinted that his peace plan might call on Palestinian refugees to settle where they are and not return to lands now in Israel.

Whether the hundreds of thousands of refugees from the 1948 war of Israel's founding, who with their descendants now number around 5 million, would exercise a right of return has been among the thorniest issues in decades of difficult diplomacy.

Israel has long ruled out any such influx as destabilizing, arguing that refugees should stay where they are or in a future Palestinian state. But prospects of such a state arising in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip are themselves in doubt.

Asked by a Lebanese reporter whether the United States hoped Arab countries hosting Palestinian refugees would accept them permanently in exchange for funding, Kushner declined to answer directly, saying the matter would be addressed later. But he suggested a comparison with Jews displaced from Middle Eastern countries in 1948, many of whom Israel took in.

"Look, you have a situation when this whole thing started where you had 800,000 Jewish refugees that came out of all the different Middle Eastern countries and you had 800,000, roughly, Palestinian refugees," Kushner said. "And what's happened to the Israeli - to the Jewish - refugees, is they have been absorbed by different places whereas the Arab world has not absorbed a lot of these refugees over time.

"I think that the people of Lebanon would love to see a resolution to this issue, one that is fair," he said.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump is fond of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and willing to engage with him, but Abbas was cool to the gesture.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump is fond of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and willing to engage with him, but Abbas was cool to the gesture. In a conference call with reporters, Kushner said, "Our door is always open" to the Palestinians. The Palestinians have refused to talk to Kushner and other architects of a US peace initiative unveiled at a Bahrain workshop last week. Kushner at the Manama conference outlined a $50 billion economic revival plan for the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon that is dependent on Israel and the Palestinians reaching a political settlement to their decades-old conflict. Trump's proposals to settling the thorny political issues remain secret and are to be released later this year. There are doubts among Palestinians as to whether his plan will include the long-standing goal of a "two-state solution" - Israel and Palestine existing side by side in peace. "President Trump is very fond of President Abbas," Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law, said. "He likes him very much personally. And at the right time if they’re willing to engage I believe that they’ll find that they’ll have an opportunity. Whether they will be willing to take that opportunity will be up to them." Abbas, asked about Kushner's remarks in Ramallah, said he would resume dialogue with the United States should the latter assert its recognition of the two-state solution and the right of Palestinian refugees to return. "You want a dialogue? If yes, then you need to recognize the two-state solution and that east Jerusalem is occupied and that the international legitimacy is the ground for any dialogue," Abbas said during an event at his Ramallah office in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. "Send me those words on a piece of paper and the next day I will show up at the White House. Otherwise, no," he said. "Therefore, we are not closing doors with the United States, we are keeping the door narrowly open. If they like it, they are welcome," he added. In comments likely to raise concerns among Palestinians, Kushner hinted that his peace plan might call on Palestinian refugees to settle where they are and not return to lands now in Israel. Whether the hundreds of thousands of refugees from the 1948 war of Israel's founding, who with their descendants now number around 5 million, would exercise a right of return has been among the thorniest issues in decades of difficult diplomacy. Israel has long ruled out any such influx as destabilizing, arguing that refugees should stay where they are or in a future Palestinian state. But prospects of such a state arising in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip are themselves in doubt. Asked by a Lebanese reporter whether the United States hoped Arab countries hosting Palestinian refugees would accept them permanently in exchange for funding, Kushner declined to answer directly, saying the matter would be addressed later. But he suggested a comparison with Jews displaced from Middle Eastern countries in 1948, many of whom Israel took in. "Look, you have a situation when this whole thing started where you had 800,000 Jewish refugees that came out of all the different Middle Eastern countries and you had 800,000, roughly, Palestinian refugees," Kushner said. "And what's happened to the Israeli - to the Jewish - refugees, is they have been absorbed by different places whereas the Arab world has not absorbed a lot of these refugees over time. "I think that the people of Lebanon would love to see a resolution to this issue, one that is fair," he said.

Trump 'very fond' of Palestine's Mahmoud Abbas, willing to engage on a peace plan: Jared Kushner

U.S had proposed aid to Palestine in Baharain Conference. Palestine releases a man who attended U.S-Led conference. Palestine said to U.S that they want statehood not money. Watch this video to know more.

Benjamin Netanyahu Slams Palestine

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - July 01st, 2019

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Palestine wants conflict at any cost. Watch this video to know more.

Benjamin Netanyahu: Palestine wants conflict at any cost

More than 200 demonstrators broke into the courtyard of Bahrain's Embassy in Baghdad and took down the kingdom's flag on Thursday night to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/kushners-economic-plan-for-mideast-peace-faces-broad-arab-rejection-229659">protest</a> a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-bahrain-united-states-to-launch-economic-part-of-mideast-peace-plan-amid-skepticism-230273">US-led meeting </a>in Bahrain on Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Police used live rounds to disperse the crowd, police sources told Reuters, with no injuries reported.

"We used our vehicle loudspeakers to encourage protesters to leave the compound," a police officer stationed near the embassy said. "After they refused, police had to fire into the air."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-economy-first-approach-to-mideast-peace-built-on-big-money-projects-229587">Kushner unveils economic portion of Middle East peace plan</a>

One protester, who identified himself as a member of the Islamic Resistance Groups, a term usually used by Iranian-backed Shiite militias, said they wanted to send a strong statement.&nbsp;

"We took down the Bahraini flag to send a clear message to all those who participated in the Bahrain conference, that we strongly reject normalising relations with the Zionist occupiers and will never abandon our support of Palestinians," said the protester, who identified himself as Abu Murtadha al-Moussawi. "We are ready to fight for this."

Bahrain recalled its ambassador to Iraq for consultations on Thursday after the protests.&nbsp;

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain condemns the attack on the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of Iraq by the demonstrators (which) led to sabotage in the embassy building," a statement on the ministry`s website said.

The kingdom also summoned the charge d’affaires of the Embassy of Iraq in Manama on Friday to protest the "sabotage" of the embassy`s building in Baghdad, a second statement from the Bahraini foreign ministry said.&nbsp;

"The foreign ministry welcomes the two statements from the Iraqi government... and insists on the importance of holding the perpetrators accountable," the statement added.

Iraq condemned the protesters, and expressed "its deep regret" over the security breach at the embassy.

"The government of Iraq affirms its absolute rejection of any acts which threaten diplomatic missions, their safety and the security of their personnel," said in a statement.

The two-day conference in Manama was aimed at rallying support for a $50 billion investment plan in the Palestinian Territories as the first part of a broader White House political plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The plan has met broad disdain from Palestinians and others in the Arab world although regional US&nbsp;allies such as Saudi Arabia discreetly support it. Neither the Israeli nor Palestinian governments attended the meeting.

More than 200 demonstrators broke into the courtyard of Bahrain's Embassy in Baghdad and took down the kingdom's flag on Thursday night to protest a US-led meeting in Bahrain on Israeli-Palestinian peace.

More than 200 demonstrators broke into the courtyard of Bahrain's Embassy in Baghdad and took down the kingdom's flag on Thursday night to protest a US-led meeting in Bahrain on Israeli-Palestinian peace. Police used live rounds to disperse the crowd, police sources told Reuters, with no injuries reported. "We used our vehicle loudspeakers to encourage protesters to leave the compound," a police officer stationed near the embassy said. "After they refused, police had to fire into the air." Also read: Kushner unveils economic portion of Middle East peace plan One protester, who identified himself as a member of the Islamic Resistance Groups, a term usually used by Iranian-backed Shiite militias, said they wanted to send a strong statement. "We took down the Bahraini flag to send a clear message to all those who participated in the Bahrain conference, that we strongly reject normalising relations with the Zionist occupiers and will never abandon our support of Palestinians," said the protester, who identified himself as Abu Murtadha al-Moussawi. "We are ready to fight for this." Bahrain recalled its ambassador to Iraq for consultations on Thursday after the protests. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain condemns the attack on the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of Iraq by the demonstrators (which) led to sabotage in the embassy building," a statement on the ministry`s website said. The kingdom also summoned the charge d’affaires of the Embassy of Iraq in Manama on Friday to protest the "sabotage" of the embassy`s building in Baghdad, a second statement from the Bahraini foreign ministry said. "The foreign ministry welcomes the two statements from the Iraqi government... and insists on the importance of holding the perpetrators accountable," the statement added. Iraq condemned the protesters, and expressed "its deep regret" over the security breach at the embassy. "The government of Iraq affirms its absolute rejection of any acts which threaten diplomatic missions, their safety and the security of their personnel," said in a statement. The two-day conference in Manama was aimed at rallying support for a $50 billion investment plan in the Palestinian Territories as the first part of a broader White House political plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The plan has met broad disdain from Palestinians and others in the Arab world although regional US allies such as Saudi Arabia discreetly support it. Neither the Israeli nor Palestinian governments attended the meeting.

Baghdad protesters take down Bahrain flag over Trump peace conference

How Will Jared Kushner's Business Plan Impact Israel-Palestine Conflict? Can a power point presentation solve the longstanding Israel-Palestine conflict? Will Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law succeed where all the other U.S. President have failed? Here's a report

Gravitas: Can business-first approach solve Israel-Palestine conflict?

Jared Kushner said Wednesday that the door remained open to the Palestinians to engage in his peace initiative as he accused their leaders of not caring about their own people for rejecting his <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-pushes-middle-east-economic-plan-in-face-of-palestinian-protest-230608">$50 billion economic framework</a>.

US President Donald Trump's son-in-law launched a long-awaited Middle East initiative with an intimate two-day conference in Bahrain, where economic leaders touted his plan as holding the potential to jumpstart the Palestinians' stagnant economy.

The Palestinian Authority boycotted the "Peace to Prosperity" workshop, accusing the unabashedly pro-Israel Trump of dangling the prospect of cash to try to impose political solutions and ignoring a fundamental issue of Israeli occupation.

Closing the conference at a luxury hotel in the capital Manama, the 38-year-old real estate investor promised to put out the political plan at "the right time" and said the Palestinian Authority could help its people by embracing the US recommendations.

"If they actually want to make their people's lives better, we have now laid out a great framework in which they can engage and try to achieve it," Kushner told reporters.

"We're going to stay optimistic," he said. "We have left the door open the whole time."

He said the Trump administration was trying a fresh approach to the long intractable Middle East conflict and that the authors of the economic framework had not seen the political plan.

"What the leadership has done is that they've blamed Israel and everyone else for all the people's problems, when in fact the common theme coming up is that this is all achievable if the government wants to make these reforms," Kushner said.

- 'Insult to our intelligence' -

In the occupied West Bank, senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi told a press conference the US proposal was an "insult to our intelligence" and "totally divorced from reality".

"The economic peace, which has been presented before repeatedly and which has failed to materialise because it does not deal with the real components of peace, is being presented once again, recycled once again," she said.

"The elephant in the room in Manama is of course the occupation itself," she added. "The Israeli occupation, which was never mentioned -- not once."

Trump has taken a series of landmark steps to benefit Israel including recognising bitterly divided Jerusalem as the Jewish state's capital in 2017, leading the Palestinian Authority to cut off formal contact.

The Trump administration has hinted its political plan will not mention a Palestinian state -- a goal of US policy for decades -- and that it could accept the annexation of parts of the West Bank mulled by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a family friend of Kushner.

- 'Urgency' for Palestinian economy -

The "Peace to Prosperity" sets an ambitious goal of creating one million new Palestinian jobs through $50 billion of investment in infrastructure, tourism and education in the territories and Arab neighbours.

Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, praised the plan for focusing on jobs and said "all the goodwill in the world" was needed to prevent a severe deterioration of the Palestinian economy.

"So if there is an economic plan, if there is urgency, it's a question of making sure that the momentum is sustained," Lagarde said.

Tax revenue is being held up in a dispute with Israel, which has blockaded the Gaza Strip for more than a decade because of the Islamist movement Hamas' leadership of the crowded and impoverished territory.

Mohammed al-Jadaan, Saudi Arabia's finance minister, said the Palestinian issue was "very important" for the oil-rich kingdom, which would support "whatever brings prosperity to this region".

"The region is in desperate need of prosperity and hope," he said.

Obaid bin Humaid al-Tayer, minister of state for financial affairs of the United Arab Emirates, said that international institutions should back the plan to decrease risks.

"We should give this initiative a chance, we should be discussing it, and we should try to promote it," he said.

Israel has voiced support for the conference and, in precedented scenes, Israeli academics and journalists openly travelled to Bahrain despite the lack of diplomatic relations.

Coinciding with the Bahrain conference, Oman said it would open an embassy in the Palestinian territories -- a first for a Gulf Arab state.

The sultanate said it wished to show "support for the Palestinian people".

But Netanyahu paid a rare visit to Oman in October, raising speculation the embassy could be a way to soften the blow before recognition of Israel.

Gulf Arab nations have increasingly found common cause with Israel due to their shared hostility towards Iran, although Oman has sought a moderate approach and often serves as a go-between for Washington and Tehran.

Jared Kushner said Wednesday that the door remained open to the Palestinians to engage in his peace initiative as he accused their leaders of not caring about their own people for rejecting his $50 billion economic framework.

Jared Kushner said Wednesday that the door remained open to the Palestinians to engage in his peace initiative as he accused their leaders of not caring about their own people for rejecting his $50 billion economic framework. US President Donald Trump's son-in-law launched a long-awaited Middle East initiative with an intimate two-day conference in Bahrain, where economic leaders touted his plan as holding the potential to jumpstart the Palestinians' stagnant economy. The Palestinian Authority boycotted the "Peace to Prosperity" workshop, accusing the unabashedly pro-Israel Trump of dangling the prospect of cash to try to impose political solutions and ignoring a fundamental issue of Israeli occupation. Closing the conference at a luxury hotel in the capital Manama, the 38-year-old real estate investor promised to put out the political plan at "the right time" and said the Palestinian Authority could help its people by embracing the US recommendations. "If they actually want to make their people's lives better, we have now laid out a great framework in which they can engage and try to achieve it," Kushner told reporters. "We're going to stay optimistic," he said. "We have left the door open the whole time." He said the Trump administration was trying a fresh approach to the long intractable Middle East conflict and that the authors of the economic framework had not seen the political plan. "What the leadership has done is that they've blamed Israel and everyone else for all the people's problems, when in fact the common theme coming up is that this is all achievable if the government wants to make these reforms," Kushner said. - 'Insult to our intelligence' - In the occupied West Bank, senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi told a press conference the US proposal was an "insult to our intelligence" and "totally divorced from reality". "The economic peace, which has been presented before repeatedly and which has failed to materialise because it does not deal with the real components of peace, is being presented once again, recycled once again," she said. "The elephant in the room in Manama is of course the occupation itself," she added. "The Israeli occupation, which was never mentioned -- not once." Trump has taken a series of landmark steps to benefit Israel including recognising bitterly divided Jerusalem as the Jewish state's capital in 2017, leading the Palestinian Authority to cut off formal contact. The Trump administration has hinted its political plan will not mention a Palestinian state -- a goal of US policy for decades -- and that it could accept the annexation of parts of the West Bank mulled by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a family friend of Kushner. - 'Urgency' for Palestinian economy - The "Peace to Prosperity" sets an ambitious goal of creating one million new Palestinian jobs through $50 billion of investment in infrastructure, tourism and education in the territories and Arab neighbours. Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, praised the plan for focusing on jobs and said "all the goodwill in the world" was needed to prevent a severe deterioration of the Palestinian economy. "So if there is an economic plan, if there is urgency, it's a question of making sure that the momentum is sustained," Lagarde said. Tax revenue is being held up in a dispute with Israel, which has blockaded the Gaza Strip for more than a decade because of the Islamist movement Hamas' leadership of the crowded and impoverished territory. Mohammed al-Jadaan, Saudi Arabia's finance minister, said the Palestinian issue was "very important" for the oil-rich kingdom, which would support "whatever brings prosperity to this region". "The region is in desperate need of prosperity and hope," he said. Obaid bin Humaid al-Tayer, minister of state for financial affairs of the United Arab Emirates, said that international institutions should back the plan to decrease risks. "We should give this initiative a chance, we should be discussing it, and we should try to promote it," he said. Israel has voiced support for the conference and, in precedented scenes, Israeli academics and journalists openly travelled to Bahrain despite the lack of diplomatic relations. Coinciding with the Bahrain conference, Oman said it would open an embassy in the Palestinian territories -- a first for a Gulf Arab state. The sultanate said it wished to show "support for the Palestinian people". But Netanyahu paid a rare visit to Oman in October, raising speculation the embassy could be a way to soften the blow before recognition of Israel. Gulf Arab nations have increasingly found common cause with Israel due to their shared hostility towards Iran, although Oman has sought a moderate approach and often serves as a go-between for Washington and Tehran.

Kushner holds open door to wary Palestinians in Bahrain peace push

The Trump administration sought on Wednesday to win support for an <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-economy-first-approach-to-mideast-peace-built-on-big-money-projects-229587">economic plan</a> it says will be a foundation for Israeli-Palestinian peace but which Palestinians and many other Arabs dismiss as pointless without a political solution to the decades-old conflict.

US President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/economic-plan-necessary-pre-condition-for-middle-east-peace-kushner-230435">Jared Kushner</a> opened an international meeting in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-bahrain-united-states-to-launch-economic-part-of-mideast-peace-plan-amid-skepticism-230273">Bahrain</a> on Tuesday evening by urging Palestinians, whose leadership is boycotting the event, to think outside the "traditional box" for an economic pathway that he said was a precondition for peace.

International Monetary Fund managing director, Christine Lagarde, told the first panel session that the Fund's experience in conflict-riven countries around the world showed it can be a struggle to generate economic growth in such an environment.

Watch: Jared Kushner flags off the Israel-Palestine Peace conference in Bahrain

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Neither the Israeli nor Palestinian governments are attending the event. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close Trump ally, said Israel was open to the proposal.

In Gaza on Tuesday, the Islamist group Hamas and its rival Fatah movement of President Mahmoud Abbas convened a gathering of leaders and activists in a rare show of unity to voice their rejection of the Manama conference.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh criticised Arab states participating in the workshop, which 300 delegates are attending including Israeli and Palestinian businessmen.

The conference aimed to finish off the Palestinian cause under the cover of economic and financial benefits, he said.

"The (Palestinian) people, who have been fighting for one hundred years, did not commission anyone to concede or to bargain. Jerusalem is ours, the land is ours, and everything is ours," Haniyeh said.

Although US allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates discreetly support the plan, several Arab states, such as Lebanon, have stayed away while others including Jordan and Egypt, the two Arab nations that have reached peace with Israel, have sent deputy ministers.

The presence of Sunni Muslim Gulf states in Manama showed they want to encourage closer ties to Israelis - with whom they share a common foe in Shi'ite Iran - that have largely been under the table, said David Makovsky, a US-based Middle East expert attending the event.

"(But) it's clear they won't bypass the Palestinians and do anything they don't want," he told Reuters.

Hard sell

Washington hopes wealthy Gulf oil producers will bankroll the plan, which expects donor nations and investors to contribute $50 billion to Palestinian and neighbouring Arab state economies.

Saudi minister of state Mohammed Al-Sheikh told the panel that Kushner's plan was bolstered by inclusion of the private sector as a similar proposal, relying heavily on state funding, had been attempted during the Oslo interim peace deals of the 1990s that eventually collapsed.

"While I accept that peace is essential, back then it was the hope of peace that got them actually excited and moving," Al-Sheikh said.

But the "economy first" approach toward reviving the moribund peace process could be a hard sell as the political details of the plan, almost two years in the making, remain secret.

On Tuesday Riyadh reiterated that any peace deal should be based on a Saudi-led Arab peace initiative that calls for a Palestinian state drawn along borders which predate Israel's capture of territory in the 1967 Middle East war, as well as a capital in East Jerusalem and refugees' right of return - points rejected by Israel.

Kushner said on Monday the plan would not adhere to the Arab initiative.

It is not clear whether the Trump team plans to abandon the "two-state solution", which involves creation of an independent Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel.

The United Nations and most countries back the two-state solution, which has underpinned every peace plan for decades, but Trump's team has consistently refused to commit to it.

Any solution must settle long-standing issues such as the status of Jerusalem, mutually agreed borders, Israel's security concerns, Palestinian demands for statehood, and the fate of Israel's settlements and military presence in territory where Palestinians want to build that state.

Palestinian leaders are refusing to engage with the White House, accusing it of pro-Israel bias. Breaking with the international consensus, Trump in 2017 recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, infuriating the Palestinians and other Arabs.

Across the great divide

The IMF says unemployment stands at 30 per cent in the West Bank and 50 per cent in Gaza, the economy of which has suffered years of Israeli and Egyptian blockades as well as recent foreign aid cuts and sanctions by the Palestinian Authority, Hamas' rival in the Israeli-occupied West bank.

Among the 179 proposed infrastructure and business projects is a $5 billion transportation corridor to connect the West Bank and Gaza, according to documents reviewed by Reuters. Some of them have been floated before and stalled for lack of underlying political or security agreements.

"The economic vision has to be linked to resolving the entire conflict, and this doesn't bring the Israelis and Palestinians any closer together. So I'm not optimistic this plan can materialize anytime soon," Makovsky said.

Even at a break between sessions in Bahrain, differences between the two sides of the Israeli-Arab divide could be seen.

Israeli businessman Shlomi Fogel was in conversation with a UAE businesswoman. Asked for their views on Kushner’s approach of tackling economic issues first, Fogel said,&nbsp;"If we wait for the politicians, it will take forever. We could do parts of this economic plan with the right support."

The Dubai-based businesswoman suggested, however, that the plan was too ambitious to be put into effect anytime soon.

"There were efforts like Oslo that didn’t work out - and that was because of the Israelis," she said. "You can’t assume the economics will work if the politics don't move."

The Trump administration sought on Wednesday to win support for an economic plan it says will be a foundation for Israeli-Palestinian peace but which Palestinians and many other Arabs dismiss as pointless without a political solution to the decades-old conflict.

The Trump administration sought on Wednesday to win support for an economic plan it says will be a foundation for Israeli-Palestinian peace but which Palestinians and many other Arabs dismiss as pointless without a political solution to the decades-old conflict. US President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner opened an international meeting in Bahrain on Tuesday evening by urging Palestinians, whose leadership is boycotting the event, to think outside the "traditional box" for an economic pathway that he said was a precondition for peace. International Monetary Fund managing director, Christine Lagarde, told the first panel session that the Fund's experience in conflict-riven countries around the world showed it can be a struggle to generate economic growth in such an environment. Watch: Jared Kushner flags off the Israel-Palestine Peace conference in Bahrain × Neither the Israeli nor Palestinian governments are attending the event. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close Trump ally, said Israel was open to the proposal. In Gaza on Tuesday, the Islamist group Hamas and its rival Fatah movement of President Mahmoud Abbas convened a gathering of leaders and activists in a rare show of unity to voice their rejection of the Manama conference. Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh criticised Arab states participating in the workshop, which 300 delegates are attending including Israeli and Palestinian businessmen. The conference aimed to finish off the Palestinian cause under the cover of economic and financial benefits, he said. "The (Palestinian) people, who have been fighting for one hundred years, did not commission anyone to concede or to bargain. Jerusalem is ours, the land is ours, and everything is ours," Haniyeh said. Although US allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates discreetly support the plan, several Arab states, such as Lebanon, have stayed away while others including Jordan and Egypt, the two Arab nations that have reached peace with Israel, have sent deputy ministers. The presence of Sunni Muslim Gulf states in Manama showed they want to encourage closer ties to Israelis - with whom they share a common foe in Shi'ite Iran - that have largely been under the table, said David Makovsky, a US-based Middle East expert attending the event. "(But) it's clear they won't bypass the Palestinians and do anything they don't want," he told Reuters. Hard sell Washington hopes wealthy Gulf oil producers will bankroll the plan, which expects donor nations and investors to contribute $50 billion to Palestinian and neighbouring Arab state economies. Saudi minister of state Mohammed Al-Sheikh told the panel that Kushner's plan was bolstered by inclusion of the private sector as a similar proposal, relying heavily on state funding, had been attempted during the Oslo interim peace deals of the 1990s that eventually collapsed. "While I accept that peace is essential, back then it was the hope of peace that got them actually excited and moving," Al-Sheikh said. But the "economy first" approach toward reviving the moribund peace process could be a hard sell as the political details of the plan, almost two years in the making, remain secret. On Tuesday Riyadh reiterated that any peace deal should be based on a Saudi-led Arab peace initiative that calls for a Palestinian state drawn along borders which predate Israel's capture of territory in the 1967 Middle East war, as well as a capital in East Jerusalem and refugees' right of return - points rejected by Israel. Kushner said on Monday the plan would not adhere to the Arab initiative. It is not clear whether the Trump team plans to abandon the "two-state solution", which involves creation of an independent Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel. The United Nations and most countries back the two-state solution, which has underpinned every peace plan for decades, but Trump's team has consistently refused to commit to it. Any solution must settle long-standing issues such as the status of Jerusalem, mutually agreed borders, Israel's security concerns, Palestinian demands for statehood, and the fate of Israel's settlements and military presence in territory where Palestinians want to build that state. Palestinian leaders are refusing to engage with the White House, accusing it of pro-Israel bias. Breaking with the international consensus, Trump in 2017 recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, infuriating the Palestinians and other Arabs. Across the great divide The IMF says unemployment stands at 30 per cent in the West Bank and 50 per cent in Gaza, the economy of which has suffered years of Israeli and Egyptian blockades as well as recent foreign aid cuts and sanctions by the Palestinian Authority, Hamas' rival in the Israeli-occupied West bank. Among the 179 proposed infrastructure and business projects is a $5 billion transportation corridor to connect the West Bank and Gaza, according to documents reviewed by Reuters. Some of them have been floated before and stalled for lack of underlying political or security agreements. "The economic vision has to be linked to resolving the entire conflict, and this doesn't bring the Israelis and Palestinians any closer together. So I'm not optimistic this plan can materialize anytime soon," Makovsky said. Even at a break between sessions in Bahrain, differences between the two sides of the Israeli-Arab divide could be seen. Israeli businessman Shlomi Fogel was in conversation with a UAE businesswoman. Asked for their views on Kushner’s approach of tackling economic issues first, Fogel said, "If we wait for the politicians, it will take forever. We could do parts of this economic plan with the right support." The Dubai-based businesswoman suggested, however, that the plan was too ambitious to be put into effect anytime soon. "There were efforts like Oslo that didn’t work out - and that was because of the Israelis," she said. "You can’t assume the economics will work if the politics don't move."

US pushes Middle East economic plan in face of Palestinian protest

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India Sides With Israel & Votes Against Palestinian NGO In UN's ECOSOC. After Decades Of Endorsing The Two-nation Theory In Israel-Palestine Conflict, India Favours Israel Over Palestine At The United Nation's ECOSOC. Is There Merit In India's Decision? What Does This Mean For India? How Has The Indo-Israel Relationship Evolved Under Modi? Is Hugplomacy Working?

Gravitas: India Favours Israel Over Palestine

Palestinians urged Egypt and Jordan on Wednesday to reconsider their attendance at a US-led conference on June 25-26 in Bahrain, voicing concern it would weaken any Arab opposition to Washington's coming peace plan.

The United States has billed the gathering as a workshop to boost the Palestinian economy as part of a broader diplomatic effort widely referred to as President &nbsp;Donald Trump's "deal of the century" to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The participation of Egypt and Jordan is considered especially important because they have historically been key players in Middle East peace efforts and are also the only Arab states to have reached peace agreements with Israel.

But Palestinians are boycotting the meeting, saying Trump's peace plan is likely to be heavily weighted in favour of Israel and to quash their aspirations for statehood in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Israeli and US officials say Israel has yet to be formally invited, given discussions between Washington and Bahrain over what might be an appropriate makeup of an Israeli delegation.

"The Palestinian Authority urges Egypt and Jordan not to attend the Bahrain conference," Ibrahim Melhem, a spokesman for the Palestinian government said on Facebook after US officials announced the two nations, along with Morocco, would attend.

Melhem urged "all brotherly and friendly countries to withdraw", adding that participation "would carry wrong messages about the unity of the Arab position" on rejecting Trump's plan.

While the precise outlines of the draft plan have yet to be revealed, Palestinian and Arab sources who have been briefed about it say it has jettisoned the two-state solution. The plan faces possible delays due to political upheaval in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must fight another election after failing to form a government.

US Pressure

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said this month that Cairo would not accept anything the Palestinians did not support.

Tareq Baconi, an analyst with the International Crisis Group who is based in Jerusalem, said both Egypt and Jordan had faced heavy US pressure to go to Bahrain.

"This is a significant disappointment for the Palestinians because it is a breaking of the ranks in the Arab region. Their call to boycott has not been heeded," Baconi told Reuters.

After Israel, Egypt is the largest beneficiary of US military aid and received $1.3 billion in 2018. Pro-Western Jordan was allocated $443 million in US military assistance last year. Both countries border Palestinian areas and Israel.

US3 officials have said they are inviting economic and finance ministers, as well as business leaders from the region and around the world, to discuss investment in the troubled Palestinian economy in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Global financial bodies including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank will be represented.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have also confirmed their attendance, a White House official said.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said on Tuesday that Lebanon would not attend because "the Palestinians will not participate, and we prefer to have a clear idea of the proposed peace plan, as we have not been consulted or informed about it".

In a letter on Monday to diplomatic missions, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Palestinian economic crisis, which the conference is to address, was actually the result of what he called a "financial war waged by the Trump administration" as well as Israeli occupation.

Washington ceased its aid to the Palestinians early this year, dealing President Mahmoud Abbas another blow after recognising contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital in late 2017 and moving the US embassy to the holy city from Tel Aviv.

"If anyone is interested in the economic development of Palestine, they should tackle the root causes that prevented Palestinians from reaching their full potential in our country," Erekat said.

Palestinians urged Egypt and Jordan on Wednesday to reconsider their attendance at a US-led conference on June 25-26 in Bahrain, voicing concern it would weaken any Arab opposition to Washington's coming peace plan.

Palestinians urged Egypt and Jordan on Wednesday to reconsider their attendance at a US-led conference on June 25-26 in Bahrain, voicing concern it would weaken any Arab opposition to Washington's coming peace plan. The United States has billed the gathering as a workshop to boost the Palestinian economy as part of a broader diplomatic effort widely referred to as President Donald Trump's "deal of the century" to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The participation of Egypt and Jordan is considered especially important because they have historically been key players in Middle East peace efforts and are also the only Arab states to have reached peace agreements with Israel. But Palestinians are boycotting the meeting, saying Trump's peace plan is likely to be heavily weighted in favour of Israel and to quash their aspirations for statehood in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israeli and US officials say Israel has yet to be formally invited, given discussions between Washington and Bahrain over what might be an appropriate makeup of an Israeli delegation. "The Palestinian Authority urges Egypt and Jordan not to attend the Bahrain conference," Ibrahim Melhem, a spokesman for the Palestinian government said on Facebook after US officials announced the two nations, along with Morocco, would attend. Melhem urged "all brotherly and friendly countries to withdraw", adding that participation "would carry wrong messages about the unity of the Arab position" on rejecting Trump's plan. While the precise outlines of the draft plan have yet to be revealed, Palestinian and Arab sources who have been briefed about it say it has jettisoned the two-state solution. The plan faces possible delays due to political upheaval in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must fight another election after failing to form a government. US Pressure Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said this month that Cairo would not accept anything the Palestinians did not support. Tareq Baconi, an analyst with the International Crisis Group who is based in Jerusalem, said both Egypt and Jordan had faced heavy US pressure to go to Bahrain. "This is a significant disappointment for the Palestinians because it is a breaking of the ranks in the Arab region. Their call to boycott has not been heeded," Baconi told Reuters. After Israel, Egypt is the largest beneficiary of US military aid and received $1.3 billion in 2018. Pro-Western Jordan was allocated $443 million in US military assistance last year. Both countries border Palestinian areas and Israel. US3 officials have said they are inviting economic and finance ministers, as well as business leaders from the region and around the world, to discuss investment in the troubled Palestinian economy in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Global financial bodies including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank will be represented. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have also confirmed their attendance, a White House official said. Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said on Tuesday that Lebanon would not attend because "the Palestinians will not participate, and we prefer to have a clear idea of the proposed peace plan, as we have not been consulted or informed about it". In a letter on Monday to diplomatic missions, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Palestinian economic crisis, which the conference is to address, was actually the result of what he called a "financial war waged by the Trump administration" as well as Israeli occupation. Washington ceased its aid to the Palestinians early this year, dealing President Mahmoud Abbas another blow after recognising contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital in late 2017 and moving the US embassy to the holy city from Tel Aviv. "If anyone is interested in the economic development of Palestine, they should tackle the root causes that prevented Palestinians from reaching their full potential in our country," Erekat said.

Palestinians urge Egypt, Jordan to reconsider going to US-led conference

Watch this week's West Asia Post as we dissect the US-Iran relationship, analyse Netanyahu's decision for another election and look at an interesting seed library from Palestine. For more such stories, keep watching the west Asia post, every Friday at 8:30 PM, only on WION.

The West Asia Post - Episode 27

Madonna sang her classic 'Like a Prayer'&nbsp;and her new single 'Future'&nbsp;with rapper-singer Quavo during a live performance at the grand finale of the 2019 Eurovision song contest on Sunday.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the pop singer also gave a subtle political statement for the unity between Israel and Palestine.

At the end of her performance, two of her supporting dancers walked hand in hand with the Israeli and Palestinian flags.

When she finished singing her track 'X' the singer said, "Wake up".

The same words were also displayed on the large screen behind her and Quavo.

Emphasizing the importance of music, during an interview Madonna had said, "Everybody here is from all over the world, right? So many countries that I have been privileged enough to visit and experience, and the one thing that brings me to those countries, and the thing that brings all of these people here tonight, is music. So let`s never underestimate the power of music to bring people together."

Her performance and her comments about the power of music aired live on Tel Aviv.&nbsp; 
 
 
&nbsp;

Madonna sang her classic 'Like a Prayer' and her new single 'Future' with rapper-singer Quavo during a live performance at the grand finale of the 2019 Eurovision song contest on Sunday.

Madonna sang her classic 'Like a Prayer' and her new single 'Future' with rapper-singer Quavo during a live performance at the grand finale of the 2019 Eurovision song contest on Sunday. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the pop singer also gave a subtle political statement for the unity between Israel and Palestine. At the end of her performance, two of her supporting dancers walked hand in hand with the Israeli and Palestinian flags. When she finished singing her track 'X' the singer said, "Wake up". The same words were also displayed on the large screen behind her and Quavo. Emphasizing the importance of music, during an interview Madonna had said, "Everybody here is from all over the world, right? So many countries that I have been privileged enough to visit and experience, and the one thing that brings me to those countries, and the thing that brings all of these people here tonight, is music. So let`s never underestimate the power of music to bring people together." Her performance and her comments about the power of music aired live on Tel Aviv.

Madonna performs live at Eurovision 2019

The armed wing of Hamas is using increasingly complex methods of raising funds via bitcoin, researchers say, highlighting the difficulties regulators face in tracking cryptocurrency financing of outfits designated by some as terrorist groups.

Hamas shifts tactics in bitcoin fundraising, highlighting crypto risks

More Than 600 Hamas Rockets Rained On Israel Over The Weekend As Tit-For-Tat Fighting Continues Between Israel & Palestine.

Gravitas: Israel & Palestine Reach An Uneasy Truce After Yet Another Bout Of Deadly Violence

Palestine: 1 killed in Israeli firing ahead of protests

News Alert: Tensions are high at Israel-Gaza border

News Alert: Thousands protests at Israel-Gaza border

Israel and Palestine's militant group Hamas agreed to ceasefire brokered by Egypt

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