Asia

US Rolls Out Economic Part of 'Deal of the Century' for Palestinian Authority

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The White House has unveiled the economic part of US President Donald Trump’s "deal of the century" for Palestinian Authority, which features $50 billion in investment in the coming decade.
Sputnik

"With the potential to facilitate more than $50 billion in new investment over ten years, Peace to Prosperity represents the most ambitious and comprehensive international effort for the Palestinian people to date", the announcement read.

The "Peace to Prosperity" plan offers solutions to how to double Palestinian gross domestic product over a 10-year period, create over a million jobs, and reduce the poverty rate by 50 percent.

It calls for a cash injection to the tune of $900 million in rail and highway links between Gaza and the West Bank, upgrading Palestinian infrastructure, enhancing tourism and developing a central online e-government system, among other goals.

Investment in the form of grants and concessional loans will be distributed to projects both inside Palestinian territories and to neighbouring Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon, linking them together by tearing down trade barriers in the region.

The road map comes days before White House senior adviser Jared Kushner presents Trump’s vision for Palestinian Authority at a workshop in Bahrain from 25-26 June. Palestinian leaders have opted out for fear it will undermine the preferred two-state solution for their row with Israel.

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