Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner lobbies Israel over Gaza peace plan
US President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner will visit Israel and Egypt next week to bridge differences over the Gaza peace plan. The move comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected several key parts of the roadmap that had been agreed with Hamas.
Kushner, who is also Trump’s son-in-law, will travel with Nickolay Mladenov, a senior official in the Board of Peace established by Trump. The two are scheduled to meet with Israeli officials and Egypt, the main mediator.
The visit is aimed at finding common ground on the implementation of Trump’s peace plan. A Board of Peace official said Kushner and Mladenov hope to hold constructive talks to accelerate the process.
“The United States and Israel agree on the ultimate goal, which is a demilitarised Hamas,” said the official, who requested anonymity.
“We will listen to the concerns that have been raised and discuss the next steps. What matters is that we share agreement on the desired outcome and are seeking ways to accelerate progress,” the official continued.
The main differences emerged after Mladenov announced a 15-point plan that included Hamas’s willingness to hand over weapons to a new Palestinian governing committee in Gaza.
Hamas agreed to the latest part of the plan at the end of July. In the initial version released by the Board of Peace, the next phase would include a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from most of Gaza.
However, Mladenov later revised that explanation. Israel was said not to need to withdraw its troops before Hamas fully disarmed.
Netanyahu stressed that he would not withdraw Israeli troops from Gaza. He also questioned Hamas’s willingness to surrender its weapons and demanded that the disarmament process be carried out thoroughly and verifiably. Hamas, for its part, said it remains committed to the agreement that has been made.
“We continue to await pressure from the mediators and the United States on Netanyahu and his government to force them to comply with the roadmap,” Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim told AFP.
Naim also urged the United States to prevent disruption of the ceasefire agreement process due to political and electoral interests. Israel is scheduled to hold elections on 27 October, with several polls showing a tight race that has again placed Netanyahu under pressure.
The diplomatic effort comes as the situation in Gaza has deteriorated once more. Israel launched deadly air strikes on Wednesday and Thursday last week after more than a week of relative calm.