Trump administration pushes ahead with Mideast peace plan

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is aiming to roll out its longdelayed Middle East peace plan next month amid signs it may further alienate the Palestinians by slashing millions of dollars in funding for humanitarian and development projects in the West Bank and Gaza.

Five U.S. officials and a congressional aide say the administration intends to release the peace plan in mid- to late-June, shortly after the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, although they cautioned that the timing could slip depending on developments in the region.

They say the plan’s main authors — President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Trump’s special envoy for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt — have begun briefing select allies on elements of the proposal.

Any Palestinian willingness to consider the plan would require conditions to improve and anger to subside in the coming weeks, an unlikely scenario, as the Palestinians say evidence of one-sided Trump giveaways to Israel continues to pile up. U.S. allies in Europe and the Persian Gulf also have criticized the administration.

The prospect of Palestinian interest in the peace proposal appears dim, however, particularly since Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas recalled the mission’s chief earlier to protest Monday’s opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.

Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the embassy move and the administration’s unreserved defense of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies have alienated and angered the Palestinian leadership.