The Trump administration’s proposal for achieving peace in the Middle East won’t be released until June at the earliest, senior White House adviser Jared Kushner told ambassadors on Wednesday.
Reuters reported that Kushner urged ambassadors to remain open to compromise ahead of the plan’s release, which has been touted since early in Trump’s presidency. Kushner is spearheading the peace initiative with special envoy Jason Greenblatt, who confirmed the Reuters report in a tweet.
{mosads}The June release would come after the conclusion of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends early in the month, and would allow recently reelected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a governing coalition.
Netanyahu secured a record-setting fifth term earlier this month. President Trump said at the time he believed his ally’s victory increased the chances for a Mideast peace deal.
Kushner discussed the proposal Wednesday with roughly 100 ambassadors from around the world at Blair House, which is located across the street from the White House. He reportedly encouraged attendees to keep an open mind, but did not disclose whether the plan would call for the creation of a Palestinian state.
Reuters reported that Kushner disputed the peace plan would focus mostly on an economic package to aid Palestinians, insisting that it would contain a “very detailed” political component.
The Trump administration has promised since its early days to deliver a groundbreaking proposal to ensure peace between Israelis, Palestinians and other stakeholders in the Middle East. However, officials have revealed few specifics about the plan or when it might be made public.
The U.S. ambassador to Israel said in January that the plan would likely not be released for “several months.” White House national security adviser John Bolton said last week that the administration will put out its plan “in the very near future.”
While Trump and others have championed Netanyahu’s involvement in the proposal, there has been little contact with Palestinian officials, who cut off negotiations last year over frustrations with the Trump administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Recently elected Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh further cast doubt on the chances of reaching a deal with the Trump administration in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, saying any peace proposal will be “born dead.”
“There are no partners in Palestine for Trump,” Shtayyeh told the AP. “There are no Arab partners for Trump and there are no European partners for Trump.”