White House: Egypt, Jordan and Morocco to attend Bahrain summit

While Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will also attend the summit, the Palestinian Authority, Russia and China plan to boycott it.

By World Israel News Staff and JNS

Egypt, Jordan and Morocco are expected to attend the Bahrain economic summit on June 25-26 as part of the first part of the Trump administration’s long-awaited Mideast peace plan for the Israelis and the Palestinians, the White House confirmed on Tuesday.

“Morocco, Jordan and Egypt have told us that they are attending,” a senior White House official told the Times of Israel.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates previously announced last month that they will attend the summit.

Meanwhile, Russia and China announced their attention to oppose the U.S.’ efforts.

The Palestinian Authority (P.A.), which is ostensibly Israel’s partner in any forthcoming peace negotiations, has maintained a near-complete boycott of the Trump administration since the end of 2017, when the president announced that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Relations between the White House and the P.A. further deteriorated when the U.S. moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and subsequently slashed funding to the Palestinians’ dedicated United Nations agency (UNRWA) over pro-terror policies such as the PA’s lifetime salaries to terrorists and the families of criminals killed while maiming or murdering civilians. In the past such victims have included both Israelis and foreign nationals, such as American tourist Taylor Force and British exchange student Hannah Bladon.