Kushner’s “Peace to Prosperity” Met with Skepticism

Jared Kushner, senior White House advisor, recently introduced “Peace to Prosperity,” a $50 billion investment deal that aims to rebuild the economies of the West Bank and Gaza if the Palestinian Authority reaches a peace agreement with Israel.

Neither Israel nor Palestine was formally represented at the convention to unveil Kushner’s plan. Palestinians openly boycotted it, and Israel was unable to send a delegation although they had initially intended to.

Kushner’s plan will not be implemented unless a political agreement is reached first, which has yet to be addressed. The political agreement must include solutions on borders, national security concerns, the status of Jerusalem, and the Palestinian desire for statehood. Moreover, the problem of illegal Israeli settlements and Palestinian refugee camps must be dealt with.

These issues have existed for decades with a two-state proposal being the closest solution to peace so far. Neither side has been able to agree upon a long-lasting peace deal. Consequently, the Trump Administration’s investment proposal, to be implemented only when peace is reached, has been met with backlash from many Palestinians, seeing it as a bribe to surrender the sovereignty they have been pursuing for years.

Another obstacle to a peace agreement is religion. Some Palestinians and neighboring Muslims believe they have a religious mandate ordered by Allah to destroy Israel for occupying their land. Hamas, the ruling political party in Gaza, has a charter calling for the death of Jews and the destruction of Israel. The charter states in Article 13, “There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except by Jihad.” This mindset is taught to Palestinian schoolchildren at a young age. School textbooks have been radicalized to encourage students to seek martyrdom, and violence is emphasized as the best way to liberate Palestine. The Hamas charter addresses peace attempts as “a waste of time, an exercise in futility. The Palestinian people are too noble to have their future, their right and their destiny submitted to a vain game.”

Several U.S. Presidents have attempted to broker a peace treaty in pursuit of national interests, including Israel’s security and the protection of its democracy. U.S. relations with Israel were crucial during the Cold War, as Israel strongly opposed Soviet influence in the Middle East. Since then, Israel has remained an ally, and the U.S. seeks to preserve its democracy and aid in the fight against jihad.

So far, every attempt at peace has ultimately failed. Former President Bill Clinton came close to ending the conflict with his proposed plan that would have given Palestinians 97 percent of the West Bank and full control over Gaza. Israeli prime minister at the time, Ehud Barak, accepted the Clinton Peace Plan. President of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat, initially agreed upon the terms as well. However, days later, Arafat expressed reservations and withdrew from peace talks. “Arafat never said no; he just couldn’t bring himself to say yes,” said former President Clinton.

While the Trump administration has not committed to supporting a two-state solution, it has not abandoned the idea either. Kushner says the political component of the peace deal would be revealed at the “right time,” likely after the upcoming Israeli elections. For now, many Palestinian leaders refuse to interact with the Trump administration, accusing it of pro-Israel bias. Current President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, remains reluctant to engage in negotiations, believing any proposed agreement will heavily favor Israel.

Until political components of Kushner’s peace deal are unveiled, the Middle East remains skeptical about finding a solution to finally end the decades-long conflict.