Palestinians to shun US-led economic conference, say they weren’t consulted

Tuesday, 21 May 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters): The Palestinians will not attend a U.S.-led conference in Bahrain next month that the Trump administration has cast as a preliminary roll-out of its plan for them to make peace with Israel, a Palestinian cabinet minister said on Monday.

Washington announced the conference on Sunday, describing it as an opportunity to drum up international investment for the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

The Palestinians, who have boycotted the Trump administration since it recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in late 2017, have shown little interest in discussing a plan that they anticipate will fall far short of their core demands.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Monday that his government had not been consulted on the 25 -26 June gathering in Manama.

After the cabinet met, Ahhmed Majdalani, the social development minister and a member of the executive committee of the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization, said: “There will be no Palestinian participation in the Manama workshop.”

He added: “Any Palestinian who would take part would be nothing but a collaborator for the Americans and Israel.”