Jared Kouchner, an adviser to US President Donald Trump, said he believed the Manama workshop was successful and that a large number of investors would participate, denying that the Palestinian Authority's boycott of the workshop would be a setback.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Jazeera in the White House prior to his departure to Bahrain, Kouchner said the workshop had already achieved success, as countries in the region would attend, and many countries would attend, although some say they should not attend.
As for the Arab peace initiative with Israel, Kouchner said it was "a noble act, but it did not lead to the desired peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis." In response to a question on whether the two-state solution is still viable under US ambassador to Israel, Of the West Bank.
Kouchner also responded to criticism of Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saying that this was the right of the United States and Congress had enacted that legislation for years.
"Israel is a sovereign state and has the right to determine its capital," Kouchner said, adding that Trump said when he moved the Israeli embassy to Jerusalem that this should not affect the final status negotiations.
"We are focusing our efforts on a detailed plan that we believe will help end this ongoing conflict and we hope to announce it soon and involve the parties to move forward," Kouchner said.