US seeks to raise $1 billion from Gulf States to invest in Gaza

The US hopes that a boost to the quality of life in Gaza, fueled by investments from the Gulf states, will create a positive atmosphere ahead of Trump’s presentation of his peace plan.

By: World Israel News Staff

The US is seeking to convince Arab Gulf states to invest up to $1 billion in Gaza’s economy as part of its peace plan for the region.

The Ha’aretz daily reported Sunday that the Trump administration, in an attempt to calm unrest in Gaza and as a prelude to the peace plan it plans to unveil in the near future, is working to convince the Arab kingdoms in the Gulf to invest in economic projects in the Strip.

The projects include a seaport and a solar energy grid and are planned for the northern Sinai area on Gaza’s southern border

Sources quoted by Haaretz said that President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner, together with Trump’s Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, will raise this issue during their upcoming Mideast trip next week. They hope to generate momentum before the unveiling of the peace plan, which the Palestinians have already announced they will reject.

The US hopes that attempts to boost the quality of life in Gaza will create a positive atmosphere ahead of Trump’s presentation of his peace plan, the report said.

Some observers have questioned that strategy, noting that when Israel withdrew from the Strip in 2005, it left profitable agricultural infrastructure intact, which the Palestinians immediately destroyed.

While Kushner and Greenblatt will meet with the region’s leaders, including Israel’s, they are not scheduled to hold talks with the Palestinians, who have been boycotting Washington since Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December and then moved the US embassy there last month.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas, rejected US efforts to promote an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, claiming the visit slated for the coming week by the White House Middle East peace team is “a waste of time and bound to fail.”