US kicks off Mideast plan; Palestinians up in arms over deal

Manama, Bahrain

AFTER a wait of two and a half years, the US administration is launching its Middle East peace plan on Tuesday - with an economic initiative that the Palestinians are boycotting.

For this most unconventional of US presidents, President Donald Trump's Middle East peace-making bid is unlike decades of previous US attempts. There is no talk of land swaps, a Palestinian state or other political issues that have vexed diplomats for decades.