Kushner Meets with Netanyahu to Discuss Gaza Disarmament

Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to President Trump, told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that the US wants Israel to take small steps in Gaza to test whether Hamas' commitment to start disarming is genuine. The four-hour meeting took place amid deep skepticism from Netanyahu about the US plan for Gaza. Kushner arrived in Israel after meetings in Egypt with Hamas leaders and with Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators.

Kushner brought a delegation to the meeting with Netanyahu that included the High Representative of Trump's Gaza Board of Peace, Nikolay Mladenov, as well as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Board of Peace senior advisers Aryeh Lightstone and Liran Tancman. During the meeting, Netanyahu expressed deep skepticism about Hamas' commitment to demilitarize and asked Kushner why he met with its leaders in Egypt on Sunday. Kushner told Netanyahu it was important to hear from them directly on whether they're willing to move forward with demilitarization.

The meeting focused on explaining the Board of Peace plan, clarifying misconceptions, and addressing Netanyahu's concerns. Netanyahu showed Kushner two public opinion polls, one of which showed that a majority of Israelis object to the reconstruction of Gaza before the enclave is demilitarized. The US official said Kushner told Netanyahu the US doesn't expect Israel to refrain from taking action against imminent threats by Hamas.

Kushner and Netanyahu agreed to form a deconfliction mechanism in Gaza that would monitor violations and address Israeli concerns about emerging threats to prevent escalation on the ground. Egyptian mediators would be involved, the US official said. The US official also said Netanyahu committed to taking steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, especially when it comes to water and sanitation.