Twenty-three nations embrace Trump peace plan, 7 in Middle East

Nearly two dozen world leaders have signaled their openness to President Trump’s sweeping new peace plan for Israel and Palestine, ignoring claims in the U.S. media that it was dead on arrival to focus on it as a beefy starting point.

A statement from Bahrain was typical of the reaction that has flooded into the White House since Trump unveiled the plan Wednesday. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs commends the United States of America for its determined efforts to advance the peace process,” Bahrain said.

Qatar said in a statement that it “appreciates the endeavors of President Trump and the current U.S. administration to find solutions for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”

The plan has been three years in the making and is considered the most detailed ever by an American administration. It came on a very busy week that included the signing of the new North American free trade agreement, a major immigration victory in the Supreme Court, and the continued impeachment debate.

With 23 governments applauding the peace plan, the world is “showing a willingness to receive our plan,” said an administration official. Some seven of those are in the Middle East.

But the plan has also sparked violent protests in Palestinian areas such as the West Bank.

Trump’s “Peace to Prosperity” plan links diplomatic and economic policy in a bid to settle the border issue between Israel and Palestine and provide a path to economic wealth for citizens.

The president announced it with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side, leading officials in Palestine and Iran to dismiss it, but prompting nations in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East to express openness to it.

Australia, for example, said it “welcomes the release of the U.S. ‘Vision for Peace’ by President Trump today. We welcome any initiative that can assist the resumption of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians for an end to this conflict, and the agreement of a durable and resilient peace settlement.”

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, who led the peace project, met with 190 ambassadors to review the plan.

While some in the media have dismissed the plan, others, such as the Wall Street Journal, have given the White House credit for jump-starting the peace process and leveraging support from key players.

The paper wrote: “The Trump administration has wooed officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, and other nations in the region in an effort to transcend the political impasse, and to some extent they are responding. The most important regional players—Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E.—both urged Palestinian leaders to accept the Trump plan as a basis for new talks with Israel, a move that would force them to make significant concessions, such as Israeli annexation of the Jordan Valley.”

And the Moroccan foreign ministry echoed that. It said: “The resolution of the Palestinian question is the key to stability in the Middle East. It is for that reason that the Kingdom of Morocco appreciates the constructive peace efforts of the Trump administration with a view to achieving a just, lasting, and equitable solution to this conflict.”