US may reveal Mideast peace plan in November: envoy

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The long awaited Middle East peace plan may now be revealed in November, according to U.S special envoy to the Middle East.

Speaking at the conference of Jerusalem Post in New York, Jason Greenblatt said the President Donald Trump administration "would have released the plan during the summer" had not Israel called for September elections.

"We haven’t made a decision on whether to delay now, potentially until as late November 6th. I think the logic will dictate that if we wanted to wait until a new government is formed, we really do have to wait, until potentially as late as November 6th.

"But we’ll decide that after Bahrain," he added, referring to a conference that where the Trump administration is expected to reveal economic aspects of its peace plan.

The workshop is scheduled for June 25 and 26 and will reportedly be headed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner and Greenblatt.

In April, Kushner said the plan would be published after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, however, an Israeli newspaper released a leaked document on May 7 detailing the elements of the plan known as the "Deal of the Century".

Based on the leaks in the media, the so-called "Deal of the Century" will call on the Palestinians to make major concessions to Israel regarding Jerusalem’s status and the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in historical Palestine.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the decades-long Middle East dispute, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might one day serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.

Asked about Washington's Ambassador to Israel David Friedman's interview with the New York Times, in which he said Tel Aviv has the right to annex some parts of the West Bank, Greenblatt said: "I think he said them elegantly and I support his comment."