Courtesy: X
Gaza News: US President Donald Trump’s adviser Jared Kushner told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that the United States wants Israel to take “small steps” in Gaza to test whether Hamas’ commitment to start disarming is genuine, according to a US official.
The nearly four-hour meeting took place amid deep scepticism from Netanyahu about the US plan for Gaza and ahead of an October election that makes the Israeli leader reluctant to offer significant concessions.
What Did the Two Sides Actually Agree On?
Kushner arrived in Israel after meetings in Egypt on Sunday with Hamas leaders and with Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators. He brought a delegation that included Nikolay Mladenov, High Representative of Trump’s Board of Peace, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Board of Peace advisers Aryeh Lightstone and Liran Tancman.
During the meeting, Netanyahu expressed deep scepticism about Hamas’ commitment to demilitarise and asked why Kushner had met its leaders. Kushner replied that it was important to hear directly whether they were willing to move forward with demilitarisation.
Kushner told Netanyahu: “The last time Steve Witkoff and I met with Hamas leaders, it led to the release of all the hostages.”
The two sides agreed to form two working groups — one on demilitarisation of Gaza and another on the humanitarian situation, especially water and sanitation. They also discussed a “deconfliction” mechanism involving Egyptian mediators to monitor violations and address emerging threats.
Why Is Progress Still So Difficult?
The political atmosphere in Israel ahead of the October election has created significant suspicion. The Israeli opposition has attacked Netanyahu for making concessions in Gaza. During the meeting, Netanyahu showed Kushner two public opinion polls. One indicated that a majority of Israelis object to the reconstruction of Gaza before the enclave is demilitarised. Another found that most Israelis want to continue strikes against imminent threats.
Kushner stressed that the US plan does not expect Israel to refrain from acting against imminent threats. He said the Board of Peace plan calls for reconstruction to begin only after demilitarisation is concluded.
A key point of difference remains the definition of an “imminent threat.” While the two men were meeting, President Trump told Fox News that he wants Israel to stop its airstrikes in Gaza. A Board of Peace official clarified that Trump was referring to strikes that are not against imminent threats.
Can Hamas Be Trusted to Disarm?
Kushner described the demilitarisation process as follows: Hamas would first hand over its weapons to a Palestinian technocratic government, which would then give them to an International Stabilization Force for destruction.
A US official said: “The gaps with the Israelis are not that great. None of us is relying on trusting Hamas. But we think we can start doing some tangible steps. There is a ton of fearmongering as part of the political atmosphere in Israel. But if we see weapons being handed over by Hamas, that would be the first sign it is real.”
In a statement after the meeting, Netanyahu’s office confirmed the two working groups and noted that demilitarisation would need to be completed “before reconstruction begins.”
A Board of Peace official described the meeting as “lengthy, in depth, and very productive,” adding: “We agreed with [Netanyahu] on a path forward. The Israelis are going to give this a chance. Now it’s up to Hamas to show if it truly intends to comply.”
