Israeli media outlets reported that Trump and company are planning a sort of “September surprise” ahead of the Israeli elections

White House peace envoys Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt embarked on a whirlwind tour of the Middle East last week to build on momentum from the Bahrain summit two months ago. They met with representatives from Morocco, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Israel, and returned optimistic, with a sense that the meetings were constructive.

Kushner and Greenblatt discussed who would contribute to the $50 billion fund for Palestinian economic development and where it would be based. The American peace team favors Bahrain.

Another purpose of the visit was to create a climate in which the political part of the peace deal could be presented — when and if that happens. There have been no updates on the date of its publication, but it’s obvious that the date is approaching.

Last week, Israeli media outlets reported that Trump and company are planning a sort of “September surprise” ahead of the Israeli elections, in the form of assembling a summit of Middle Eastern leaders at Camp David in order to present the political component of the plan. I turned to the White House, and was assured by a senior official that such a summit is not currently in the works.

Even without a summit, the peace team is fully aware that the Arab world must back the plan, if only so its leaders can pressure the Palestinians to give it a chance. As of now, it’s not clear they are ready to do that.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 772)