Kushner meets Netanyahu after rare talks with Hamas leader in Cairo
Jared Kushner met Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem after talks with Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya in Cairo on advancing a US-backed Gaza plan.
Jerusalem, Israel. US President Donald Trump’s envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, following rare talks with Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya in Cairo aimed at advancing Trump’s Gaza plan.
The meeting came as Netanyahu publicly rejected a US-backed agreement that would link Hamas disarmament to an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Jerusalem meeting
Kushner was joined in his meeting with Netanyahu by Nickolay Mladenov, Trump’s Board of Peace envoy for Gaza, two sources said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly.
Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Disarmament and withdrawal
Trump said the agreement would be implemented in phases, with Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza as disarmament progressed. An International Stabilization Force would work alongside a new Palestinian police force to secure the territory.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, has said Israeli forces will withdraw only after Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza have been fully disarmed.
His ruling coalition is trailing in Israeli opinion polls ahead of the October 27 national election. Diplomats say Israel is unlikely to make major concessions over Gaza before the vote.
Stalled Gaza plan
Mladenov, a former United Nations official with close ties to the United Arab Emirates, helped broker last month’s disarmament agreement. He is widely seen as leading efforts to implement Trump’s original 20-point plan to end the war, which Israel and Hamas agreed to last year.
Little progress has been made so far. Israel has continued carrying out strikes on Gaza despite agreeing to a ceasefire under Trump’s plan.
Hamas last month agreed to a new US-backed 15-point roadmap intended to advance the plan, but Israel rejected it.
Earlier, a source said Al-Hayya attended some of the Cairo meetings on Sunday between mediators, Kushner and Mladenov.
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