LONDON: Egypt, Morocco and Jordan have informed the US that they will attend an upcoming conference on investment in Palestinian areas to be held in Bahrain in late June, according to a White House official.
The White House announced last month that it would co-host the June 25-26 conference with Bahrain focusing on economic aspects of the long-delayed “Deal of the Century” US peace plan, with the declared aim of achieving Palestinian prosperity.
The conference “serves no other purpose” than to help the Palestinian people “through developing their abilities and enhancing their resources,” the Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa said in May.
Egypt and Jordan's participation is considered especially important since they have historically been key players in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.
The White House hailed the countries' attendance as “welcome news,” a sign “that our workshop is gathering momentum as we had anticipated.”
The level of their representatives was not immediately known, but the US had extended invitations to finance ministers.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE are already scheduled to attend.
Presidential advisers Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt made personal appeals to the kings of Morocco and Jordan during their recent tour of the Middle East to rally support for the plan.
However, Palestinian leaders have threatened to boycott the conference.
