JERUSALEM -- Mideast negotiator and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner held an hours-long meeting Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu days after the premier rejected the 15-point, U.S.-backed road map to move the ceasefire deal forward in Gaza. The meeting followed Kushner’s two-hour meeting with the Hamas leader in Egypt, as the U.S. presses for Israel’s approval of the road map. There is a lot at stake, including the lives of some two million Palestinians in Gaza, reconstruction of the war-demolished enclave and future control over it. Hamas says it has agreed to the road map, which includes disarmament, and the group is urging mediators and the U.S.-created Board of Peace to “compel” Israel to sign on. But Israel, which under the road map must gradually withdraw from Gaza, says Hamas must fully disarm before any Israeli withdrawal. Israeli troops occupy about 60 per cent of the strip, and Netanyahu has previously threatened to control more. Former British prime minister Tony Blair and Board of Peace Director Nickolay Mladenov were also in the meeting with Netanyahu, according to a source familiar with the plans and a diplomatic source. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a closed-door meeting. Israel did not immediately comment. Meeting follows Kushner’s conversation with Hamas Kushner on Sunday met with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo on disarmament, according to a regional official and a Hamas official, who both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. Officials from mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye also were there. The Hamas official said the Hamas leader demanded Israel halt its attacks on Gaza and withdraw to the so-called “yellow line” dividing the territory before beginning implementation. The yellow line was never precisely defined. Israeli forces have moved beyond it and now control about 60 per cent of Gaza. In May, Netanyahu said the next step was to move to 70 per cent control, with Israel “tightening the grip” on Hamas “from every direction.” Regional neighbours increase pressure on Israel Several regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued a statement Sunday condemning Israel’s rejection of the road map, saying, “Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza.” Other signers included Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia and the ceasefire mediators. The foreign ministers’ statement called on the Board of Peace and the U.S. to take “immediate and concrete measures” to keep any party from obstructing the plan’s implementation. Israel had no immediate response. The White House referred questions about Kushner’s meetings to the Board of Peace, which did not immediately comment. The Tony Blair Institute also did not comment. The visit sparks hope and doubt in Gaza While some in Gaza hope that efforts to implement the road map will bring an end to the war sparked by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, others remained skeptical. Mohammad Abu al-Qombuz cast doubt on all talks and visits currently taking place. “A conference here and there, it is all lies. We need a definitive solution that would work for everybody,” said Abu al-Qombuz, who lives in a Gaza City tent camp, part of the territory’s vast displaced population. Under the road map, Hamas would hand over weapons to the Palestinian technocratic committee meant to oversee daily operations in the territory. The committee has not yet entered Gaza. But Hamas has linked the surrender of its heaviest weapons to the creation of a Palestinian state and the road map entails the creation of a “credible pathway toward achieving Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” something Israel’s current government rejects. Until the road map is agreed to, other elements of the ceasefire are on hold, including reconstruction and the deployment of international forces to separate Israeli forces from committee-controlled areas. Netanyahu faces a challenging election on Oct. 27 as he tries to hold onto power with a coalition that includes ministers taking a harsh line on Gaza and it’s not clear whether he will take decisive steps on the ceasefire before then. Also coming up is the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war. ------ By Julia Frankel, Samy Magdy And Wafaa Shurafa Frankel reported from Jerusalem, Magdy from Cairo and Shurafa from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Collin Binkley in Washington and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.
