White House Reverses Course on ‘Apolitical’ Bahrain Conference
by Jordan Hilger, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – After saying that no Israeli officials would attend the Bahrain peace conference on June 25-26, which is set to unveil the economic portion of the Trump administration’s answer to Middle East peace, the White House has invited former Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Yoav Mordechai, the Times of Israel reported Tuesday.
Mordechai, whose branch of government headed liaisons between Israel and the Palestinians, is the only Israeli official on record to attend so far, as senior Trump administration officials said political figures were originally disbarred from the conference “to make it as apolitical as possible.”
The conference, advertised last month in the Bahrain Mirror under the heading “Peace to Prosperity,” is being helmed by senior White House adviser Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, with business leaders from United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Egypt, and Morocco scheduled to attend.
In a CNN commentary Sunday Greenblatt called the effort “a pivotal opportunity to convene government, civil society, and business leaders to share ideas, discuss strategies, and galvanize support for potential economic investments,” saying the attendees were “leaders who recognize the region deserves the opportunity that can only be unlocked with a peace agreement.”
Israeli Channel 13 News originally reported Monday that a White House source said Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and other Israeli government officials would not be attending.