Middle East Today: Israel & Palestine --- US "Peace Plan"? More Rhetoric About "Private Investment"

US Secretary of State John KerryIraq: At Least 33 Killed in Bombings

At least 33 people have been killed in the latest series of explosions in the capital Baghdad.

The attacks targets targeting mainly Shia districts of the city.

Earlier this month, more than 200 people were killed in a week in bombings and other attacks, in the most serious of violence this year.

Israel & Palestine: US Secretary of State Proposes $4 Billion Private Investment to Help with "Peace"

US Secretary of State John Kerry, visiting the Middle East amid declarations of a new American efforts at Israel-Palestine talks, fell back on rhetoric about economic development and private investment in a statement on Sunday.

Kerry declared up to $4 billion from the private sector, without saying who would provide the money.

Even as he acknowledged that the proposed economic renaissance was not a substitute for negotiations, Kerry proclaimed, "Is this a fantasy? I don't think so, because there are already great examples of investment and entrepreneurship that are working in the West Bank."

The Secretary of State was speaking at a session at a World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa session with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Kerry asserted that a group working under former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is identifying opportunities in tourism, construction, energy, agriculture, and high-tech industries in the Palestinian territories. He said their preliminary studies suggest that Palestinian Gross National Product could rise by as much as 50%, with unemployment falling by nearly two-thirds to 8% and wages rising up to 40%.

Kerry did not explain how the development would occur amid obstacles as undefined borders, Israeli restrictions on the movement and access of Palestinians, the fate of Palestinian refugees, the future of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and the status of Jerusalem.