Last month we brought you the story of John Heinz Kerry’s new strategy for diplomacy. {It was part of our “stuck on stupid” series} In essence Ketchup Boy’s primary strategy is to put Western Businesses in the Middle East, subsidize their efforts, and hope that the jihadists will take off their suicide vests in favor of picking up a spatula (taking a job).
At the time Kerry said:
“[W]e’re not going to solve this challenge of terror and of extremism and of people finding an alternative if we’re not reaching out to people, talking to them, bringing them to the table and trying to work through major, perceived differences,”
[…] “I believe we have to create a new paradigm, frankly, to deal with this.”
[…] He repeated that the new paradigm combines economic diplomacy with “significant diplomatic outreach.”
Yesterday the initial report of him following this strategy came out:
(Guardian) John Kerry revealed his long-awaited plan for peace in the Middle East on Sunday, hinging on a $4bn (£2.6bn) investment in the Palestinian private sector.
The US secretary of state, speaking at the World Economic Forum on the Jordanian shores of the Dead Sea, told an audience including Israeli president Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas that an independent Palestinian economy is essential to achieving a sustainable peace.
Speaking under the conference banner “Breaking the Impasse”, Kerry announced a plan that he promised would be “bigger, bolder and more ambitious” than anything since the Oslo accords, more than 20 years ago. (read more)
Today the response from the Palestinian Authority:
(Times of Israel) The Palestinian Authority on Monday rejected the idea of economic benefits in exchange for political concessions put forward by US Secretary of State John Kerry one day prior.
“The Palestinian leadership will not offer political concessions in exchange for economic benefits,” PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s economic adviser, Mohammad Mustafa, said in a statement, according to the Palestinian Ma’an news agency. “We will not accept that the economy is the primary and sole component.”
The statement came a day after US Secretary of State John Kerry announced a $4 billion investment plan meant to jumpstart both the Palestinian economy and peace talks with Israel. (read more)
