Pompeo hints at Mideast peace plan breaking from conventional wisdom

“I’m optimistic that what we’re doing will give us a better likelihood that we’ll achieve outcomes that would be better for the people of Israel and the Palestinian people,” said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

(March 28, 2019 / JNS) U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hinted on Wednesday that the Trump administration’s so-called “deal of the century” to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would break from conventional thinking.

“Those are all things that are different; what went before didn’t work,” he said in response to a question from Rep. David Price (D-N.C.), who pressed him on the administration merging the U.S. embassy and consulate, both in Jerusalem, earlier this month.

The consulate covered Palestinian affairs, which have now been included in operations into the embassy.

“Decades of trying the old way failed to resolve this conflict,” testified Pompeo before the House Appropriations Committee’s State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee regarding Foggy Bottom’s 2020 budget proposal.

“I’m very confident that what was tried before failed, and I’m optimistic that what we’re doing will give us a better likelihood that we’ll achieve the outcomes that would be better for both the people of Israel and the Palestinian people as well,” he said.

The peace plan is expected to be released after the Israel’s national elections on April 9.