US President Donald Trump's special envoy and his son-in-law - Jared Kushner, today concluded his meetings within 2 days with the leaders of Israel and the radical Palestinian group “Hamas” to overcome the stalemate in Trump's peace plan for the Gaza Strip, but there is no prospect of a breakthrough, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Kushner met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel - a day after his meeting with the political leader of “Hamas” Khalil al-Haya in Egypt to revive the plan, which has stalled after Israel launched airstrikes and seized more territory in Gaza despite an October truce. At the same time, the Palestinian group refuses to disarm.
Last month, Trump announced that “Hamas” had agreed to gradually hand over its weapons under a 15-point plan proposed by his so-called Peace Council to advance the joint peace plan as the Israeli army withdraws from Gaza.
The movement said it agreed with the roadmap but its implementation depended on Israel first fulfilling its own commitments, “including a cessation of attacks and a withdrawal of forces“.
Netanyahu, whose ruling coalition is trailing in opinion polls ahead of October's parliamentary elections, earlier this month rejected the 15-point plan, insisting that Israel would not withdraw from Gaza until “Hamas” not completely disarm.
An Israeli representative indicated that no breakthrough was achieved during today's meeting and specified that Netanyahu was adamant that the army would not withdraw from the demarcation line established by the ceasefire agreement in October and would continue to carry out military operations in Gaza as long as it deemed necessary, including targeting those who participated in the attacks of October 7, 2023, which sparked the war.
“Hamas” wants Israel to respect the ceasefire, while the two sides dispute the sequence of implementation of Trump's plan to end the war.
There has been no official comment from the Peace Council so far. According to two sources, Kushner's meeting with Netanyahu lasted more than three hours.
The special envoy for Gaza on the Trump Peace Council, Nickolay Mladenov, who is believed to be leading efforts to implement the plan, also attended the meeting, Reuters sources told Reuters.
According to Israeli officials, Kushner and Netanyahu agreed that the reconstruction of Gaza would not begin until “Hamas” does not fully disarm, including handing over its small arms.
In a statement describing the meeting as “thorough and constructive,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said Israel and the Peace Council believed that disarmament of the groups in Gaza must be “swift and comprehensive before any reconstruction can begin.”
He added that Netanyahu had agreed with the Peace Council to create a working group on disarmament and demilitarization, as well as another working group focused on sanitation, clean water and other public health issues in Gaza.