Palestinian Business Heads to Boycott U.S.-Led Peace Conference
Leading Palestinian businessmen announced Tuesday they would boycott an economics-focused conference next month in Bahrain that is part of the United States' Middle East peace plan.
The Palestinian political leadership had already announced it would not attend the June 25-26 conference, but the U.S. had invited key Palestinian businesspeople, saying the meeting was focusing on economic issues only.
In a joint press conference in the Palestinian city of Ramallah Tuesday, the bodies representing the vast majority of Palestinian businesses said they had jointly agreed to skip the conference.
"Many Palestinian businessmen received invitations to attend the conference in Bahrain but we decided not to participate," Arafat Asfour, chairman of the Palestine Trade Centre, told AFP.
"What is needed is a political solution because building an economy without sovereignty and control over land, water, sea and natural resources cannot succeed," he added.
"Any economic project without a political solution is selling an illusion."
The U.S. has said the conference will focus on the economic part of its long-delayed peace plan, ahead of further proposals on the political front.
Palestinians say the primary restrictions on their economy are political, particularly the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, and separating the two is impossible
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states are expected to attend the conference.
U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to seek a peace agreement multiple times but the Palestinians have refused to deal with his administration over its perceived pro-Israel bias.
Source: Agence France Presse
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