Kushner conference was supposed to bring Israelis and Palestinians together. Neither side is likely to show up.

By Anne Gearan, Souad Mekhennet and Loveday Morris June 22 at 11:02 PM

A U.S.-backed investment conference to drum up business for Palestinians will have no Palestinian government representatives and Israeli officials appear unlikely to attend, leaving in doubt whether the session can raise significant money or political support for President Trump’s effort to strike a Middle East peace deal.

The investment and development gathering that opens Tuesday in Manama, Bahrain, includes a roster of wealthy and powerful figures from international business and finance, many with connections to Trump’s aide and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who organized the session.

But it is short on regional business leaders, a primary audience for Kushner’s message that local economic empowerment can do more for Palestinians than what he sees as a moribund political leadership fixed on outdated ideas and unrealistic demands.

By design, the two-day Peace to Prosperity session will not consider the most difficult elements of a potential peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, such as borders, land claims and the future of Jerusalem.

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