Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa has defended an "economic workshop" scheduled for Manama at the end of June, at which time the United States is scheduled to unveil the economic portion of its "deal of the century" for Israel-Palestinian Authority peace, according to Channel 13 News.
Responding to PA officials that the PA would not send representatives to the conference, Al-Khalifa said, "We have no other purpose in convening the conference except for supporting the Palestinian people. However, we respect the determination of the leadership on achieving the rights of the Palestinian people."