Mar 12, 2018 - Politics & Policy

The White House's Middle East peace plan is imminent

Axios

Trump, Netanyahu — Trump with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office. Photo: Olivier Douliery, Pool / Getty Images

"The Trump administration is putting the finishing touches on its long-awaited Middle East peace plan ... and President Trump is likely to present it soon, despite risking swift rejection by the Palestinians," the N.Y. Times' Mark Landler writes.

The bottom line: "[T]he most immediate challenge for the White House is how to roll it out so that it is not proclaimed dead on arrival. The Palestinians remain furious over the president’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel ... The administration is considering simply revealing the document, in the hopes that it will pressure the Palestinians."

P.S. Ahead of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the U.S. beginning a week from today, the N.Y. Times pops a stunning lead story, "Saudis Said to Use Coercion and Abuse to Seize Billions":

"During months of captivity, many [influential businessmen — many of them members of the royal family] were subject to coercion and physical abuse, witnesses said. In the early days of the crackdown, at least 17 detainees were hospitalized for physical abuse and one later died in custody with a neck that appeared twisted, a badly swollen body and other signs of abuse."
"In an email to The New York Times on Sunday, the government denied accusations of physical abuse as 'absolutely untrue.'"

Add Axios on Google

The White House's Middle East peace plan is imminent

What to read next