The Trump administration is looking at a tentative June release of a long-awaited peace plan for the Middle East, The Associated Press reported Friday.
The administration reportedly plans to roll out the proposal in mid-to-late June, after the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. But that plan could change depending on developments in the region, the AP reported.
President Trump‘s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner and special representative for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt are heading up the Trump administration’s peace efforts. The two have begun briefing some U.S. allies and partners on the proposal, according to the AP.
Trump vowed upon entering the White House last year to broker a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians, quickly putting Kushner in charge of the efforts.
But the prospect of a deal seems unlikely in the region’s current climate.
Palestinian leaders rejected the U.S. as a peace broker in December after Trump announced that the country would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the American Embassy to the highly contested city.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the United Nations to oversee possible negotiations in the region — a proposal that Israel is almost certain to reject.
Tensions in the region worsened this week as the U.S. formally opened its new embassy in Jerusalem.
The move prompted a wave of protests from Palestinians who rejected the move. Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian protesters in Gaza, leaving nearly 60 dead.
Israel and the U.S. have defended the Israeli forces’ actions, and blamed Hamas for telling Palestinians to storm the border fence between Israel and Gaza.
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