US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, has met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This comes as Washington seeks to revive its Gaza peace plan following talks with Hamas.
According to the BBC, Kushner arrived in Israel after holding rare discussions with Hamas in Egypt on Sunday over the implementation of the US-backed plan. This plan has faced resistance from the Israeli government.
The 15-point proposal calls for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. It also includes the rebuilding of the territory under a new civilian Palestinian administration.
Israel rejected the latest roadmap last week. This was despite the Trump-led Board of Peace saying it had reached an agreement last month on the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and other armed groups operating in Gaza.
The Board of Peace was originally established as an international organisation focused on bringing peace to Gaza. However, it has since expanded its remit to include conflicts around the world.
Israeli media reported that Board of Peace envoys Nickolay Mladenov and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair were also meeting Netanyahu on Monday. The aim is to advance the plan.
Hamas has reportedly agreed to surrender its weapons in exchange for a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces. Israel, however, has insisted that Hamas must be fully disarmed before its troops leave Gaza.
The Israeli government also wants weapons surrendered by Hamas to be destroyed rather than handed over to a Palestinian technocratic committee. They argue that this would prevent the group from reclaiming them.
There is also opposition in Israel to Turkey and Qatar taking part in monitoring whether Hamas complies with its obligations under the proposed agreement.
Persuading Netanyahu to change his position could prove difficult. The Israeli prime minister has increasingly shown a willingness to challenge Washington. In particular, this occurs despite the close alliance between Israel and the United States.
Netanyahu is also facing political pressure ahead of Israel’s October general election. Meanwhile, members of his governing coalition continue to demand a tougher approach to the war in Gaza.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for nightly “targeted eliminations” of people in Gaza.
In a podcast interview with former hostage Rom Braslavski that aired on August 15, Ben-Gvir said people in Gaza who did not pose an immediate threat were also “not worthy of life”. His remarks were reported by the Associated Press, the Financial Times and the Times of Israel.
Before Kushner’s meeting with Netanyahu, a Palestinian official told the BBC that Trump’s son-in-law had met a Hamas delegation. This meeting was led by the group’s new leader, Khalil al-Hayya, in Egypt on Sunday.
Hamas later called on mediators and the Board of Peace to “compel” Israel to approve the roadmap for the next phase of the agreement.
The meeting between Kushner and Hayya is believed to be the first high-level engagement between the two sides since last year’s ceasefire agreement for Gaza.
Mladenov and Blair also attended the Egypt meeting alongside representatives from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. All these countries have been involved in mediation efforts.
No official statement was issued on the discussions. Reportedly, these talks focused on concrete measures for decommissioning Hamas’s weapons, withdrawing Israeli forces and expanding humanitarian efforts.
The Kushner-Netanyahu meeting comes as the Trump administration attempts to overcome significant differences between Israel and Hamas. The administration also seeks to keep its Gaza peace plan alive.
