EU urges US to respect both parties in Middle East peace dealings

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is urging the United States to respect the needs of both Israelis and the Palestinians in any future Mideast peace moves.

Juncker's office says that in a meeting on Tuesday, President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner shared some of the administration's thoughts about the way ahead in the region.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also attended the meeting, called at Kushner's request.

The EU officials listened to Kushner's "ideas and underlined the fundamental interest of the European Union for a lasting and sustainable peace and stability in the region."

They say "the economic development of the whole region is crucial. It must be accompanied by viable political progress that takes into account the aspirations of both the Palestinians and the Israelis."

The Palestinians have already dismissed the upcoming US peace plan dubbed the 'Deal of the Century', saying Trump's actions so far have shown him to be blatantly biased in favour of Israel. They will not attend an upcoming summit in Bahrain which will discuss the economic aspects of Kushner's plan.

Those actions include declaring Jerusalem Israel's capital, cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in Palestinian aid and closing the Palestinians' representative office in Washington. Israel has also hinted that the plan would allow it to annex settlements in the West Bank.

In an interview published last week, Kushner was quoted suggesting that the Palestinians are not ready to govern themselves ahead of the expected release of his long-delayed peace plan.