US Special Representative for International Relations Jason Greenblatt sat down for an interview with Saudi-owned and Dubai-based Al Arabiya news channel last week, in an apparent effort to speak directly to the Palestinian people and promote Washington's so-called "deal of the century" for Middle East peace.
Greenblatt, who has often spoken out against the Palestinian Authority and its opposition to the peace plan, emphasized that the economic aspect of the plan "will not move forward" without a political agreement.
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US senior adviser "Jared Kushner and a very skilled team from the US government put forth this $50 billion plan to help Palestinians, Jordanians, Egyptians, and the Lebanese. But none of it will work unless there's a political plan that both sides, the Israelis and the Palestinians agree to."
Greenblatt voiced criticism of opponents of the plan, foremost among them the Palestinian Authority. He said there were people who were trying to twist information offered by officials about the plan at the recent economic conference in Bahrain.
"There are spoilers out there that are saying that this is nothing other than a bribe to the Palestinians," he said.
"I want to reiterate for your audience that we understand there is no economic peace alone, but we also want to drive home the point that there is no political peace without making sure the Palestinian lives are improved economically."
According to Greenblatt, the peace plan, which he noted was some 60 pages long, would be presented to both Israel and the Palestinians.
He called on PA President Mahmoud Abbas not to set preconditions for the plan but rather to return to the negotiating table.
"When I sit with ordinary Palestinians, they may disagree with our US policy, they may disagree with certain things that I say, but they are very realistic and warm and welcoming to the discussion. The PA (Palestinian Authority) unfortunately is not welcoming to the discussion. You can't create peace based on that attitude," he said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed reservations about a $5 billion proposal for a highway and railway between the West Bank and Gaza as part of the Trump administration's Middle East peace deal for Israel and the Palestinians, according to a report by Channel 13 and the Axios news site on Tuesday that cited "sources briefed on the matter."
The idea was proposed as part of the deal's economic component, which was released last month during the economic summit in Bahrain.
Netanyahu and his aides were briefed about it two weeks before it was publicized, according to the report.
The prime minister's wariness about the passage is related to security matters, the sources told the outlet.
The report stated, according to the sources, "Israel gave US officials examples of how even today – with no transportation corridor and Israel in full control of the borders of the Gaza's borders – Hamas attempts to transfer operatives, messages and know-how from [the] Gaza [Strip] to the West Bank by exploiting entry permits granted for humanitarian reasons."
Greenblatt told Axios that the hesitation from the Israeli side "surprised me" because the administration repeatedly assured that "Israel's security is first and foremost" in the proposal.
Greenblatt added, "I am not aware of any official pushback from the Israeli government on this point for now," in that such feedback came from Israeli private citizens, and that the West Bank-Gaza passage "can only be a part of a comprehensive deal if it is acceptable to Israel and all security issues can be thoroughly addressed."
