U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday as Washington sought to revive its stalled Gaza peace plan, a day after Kushner held a rare meeting with Hamas representatives in Cairo.
The talks come amid deep disagreements over the sequence of Hamas disarmament and an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza.
Kushner Pushes Stalled Gaza Plan
Kushner was joined by Trump’s Gaza envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who has been involved in efforts to implement Trump’s broader plan for ending the war.
The meeting followed discussions in Cairo involving Hamas leader Khalil Al Hayya, marking only the second known meeting between Kushner and Hamas representatives.
Stay ahead of the geopolitical week.
MD Briefing delivers expert analysis across five global fronts — the Indo-Pacific, energy, geoeconomics, European security, and the Middle East — every Monday morning. Free.
The diplomatic push comes after months of limited progress. Israel has continued military strikes despite agreeing to a ceasefire under Trump’s framework, while Hamas has backed a U.S. roadmap intended to move the broader agreement forward.
Israel rejected that roadmap.
Netanyahu and Trump Differ Over Withdrawal
The central dispute remains the conditions for an Israeli withdrawal.
Trump’s proposal envisages a phased process in which Israeli forces withdraw from Gaza as Hamas and other armed groups surrender their weapons. An International Stabilization Force and a new Palestinian police force would then help maintain security.
Netanyahu has taken a harder position, saying Israeli forces should only withdraw after Hamas and other armed groups have been completely disarmed.
That difference has become one of the biggest obstacles to implementing the U.S. plan.
Hamas Says Implementation Depends on Israel
Hamas has said it agreed to the disarmament framework but argues that implementation depends on Israel fulfilling its own commitments, including withdrawing from Gaza and ending military attacks.
Trump has said a deal was reached in late July for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups.
The conflicting interpretations highlight the gap between agreeing to a framework and establishing a mechanism that both sides accept.
Netanyahu Faces Domestic Political Pressure
The negotiations are also unfolding against a sensitive Israeli political backdrop.
Netanyahu’s ruling coalition is trailing in opinion polls ahead of Israel’s October 27 national election, making major concessions on Gaza politically difficult.
Diplomats therefore expect Israel to remain cautious about agreeing to a withdrawal arrangement that could be portrayed domestically as weakening Israeli security.
Analysis
The latest diplomatic push suggests Washington is attempting to bridge the sequencing dispute at the heart of the Gaza plan: Hamas wants Israeli withdrawal and an end to attacks to precede full disarmament, while Netanyahu insists that disarmament must come first.
Kushner’s direct engagement with Hamas is significant because it indicates that Washington is willing to maintain communication with the group despite its designation as a terrorist organisation by the United States. His subsequent meeting with Netanyahu suggests an effort to carry proposals between the two sides rather than relying solely on indirect mediation.
The biggest obstacle, however, is implementation. A phased agreement requires both sides to trust that the other will fulfil its commitments. Israel fears that withdrawing before Hamas is fully disarmed could leave the group capable of rebuilding its military capabilities, while Hamas has little incentive to surrender its weapons without guarantees that Israel will withdraw and halt attacks.
The success of Trump’s plan will therefore depend less on securing another framework agreement and more on creating a credible sequence of reciprocal steps that neither side can easily abandon.
With information from Reuters.
