White House will not invite Israeli officials to Bahrain conference to keep event apolitical

The White House does not plan to invite Israeli government officials to a Bahrain conference devoted to gaining support for a Palestinian economic revitalization plan in order to keep the event apolitical, a senior administration official said on Monday, reports Reuters.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Palestinian business representatives are expected to attend the event in Manama later this month, but not Palestinian government officials, who have boycotted a peace initiative led by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner.

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“We’re inviting the Israeli business people and Palestinian business people. We’d like the make it as apolitical as possible,” the official said.

The workshop, scheduled for June 25-26, will reportedly be headed by Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s senior White House adviser and son-in-law, and his Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt.

Four Arab states — the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and host country Bahrain — have all stated that they will be participating in the conference.

A senior White House official also said that Jordan, Egypt, and Morocco had also confirmed their attendance.

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