US Ambassador: Manama workshop does not mean trade in peace with economic incentives

The US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, told Al Jazeera that the Manama workshop will not include trade in the political side of the peace process with economic incentives, pointing out that the lack of official participation of Israel came after the Palestinian Authority refused to attend.

In an interview with al-Jazeera later in the Washington program, Friedman said the Manama workshop on peace in the Middle East would focus on the economic side, but that did not mean that the political side of the peace process was being traded with economic incentives. "We are concerned that the more we emphasize that this It is not our goal to hear this again from the Palestinian Authority. "

"The Palestinians have their aspirations and they should get them, as do the Israelis," he said, adding that the conflict must be resolved at the political level, but to achieve success, the economy should be greatly improved.

Friedman said that peace can not be achieved in a society with unemployment rates of up to 70% or even 30%, and that relations can not be built under the pressure of difficult economic conditions.

Commenting on the Palestinians' non-attendance at the conference, Friedman said, "Given that the Palestinian government is out of the frame in this initiative, it is logical that the official Israeli side also remains on the sidelines of this initial initiative so as not to politicize and say that the Israeli government is negotiating with other governments against Palestinian interests" .

The ambassador considered that the withdrawal of the Israelis is the right decision to find a suitable climate and balanced, "but this will change with time, I believe."

US news reports said Israel had been invited to participate in the Bahrain meeting.

Although there was no official announcement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the conference, a former US official confirmed Israel's participation in the forum, saying it was "a great opportunity for economic normalization with the Arab countries."

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the White House worked to ensure the entry of six journalists to Bahrain to cover the Manama conference, which will be held on 25 and 26 June, and that the government of Bahrain agreed to attend, despite the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries.