A marathon meeting took place this Monday between Trump's envoy, Jared Kushner, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, regarding the future of the ceasefire in Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas. The American negotiators accepted the Israeli stance that the disarmament of the terrorist group must occur as a non-negotiable condition for the enclave to be rebuilt.
Kushner was accompanied in the meeting with Netanyahu by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the director of the Peace Council, Nickolay Mladenov. The Israeli premier's office described the talks as "deep and constructive" in a statement.
According to the statement, the teams from Trump and Netanyahu agreed that "the demilitarization of the strip must be swift and completed before any reconstruction" and must include "every weapon, light and heavy, and every tunnel" of the terrorist group.
"With the backing of President Donald Trump, the parties share clear objectives: a fully demilitarized and deradicalized Gaza that poses no threat to Israel, and where the inhabitants of Gaza can seek prosperity and dignity in peace," said an official on condition of anonymity.
Kusher, Trump's son-in-law, met with the Israeli leader today
Another official from Trump's Peace Council described the meeting as "very productive" and noted that it resulted in an agreement on "a way forward." "The Israelis are going to give it a chance. Now it's up to Hamas to prove whether it really intends to comply," he stated.
Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law, met on Sunday with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo to discuss disarmament, in a meeting that also included diplomats from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey. The terrorist leader demanded that Israel stop its attacks on Gaza and withdraw to the so-called "yellow line" that divides the territory before starting the implementation.
Trump's peace plan for the Strip includes a roadmap that requires Hamas to hand over its weapons to a technocratic committee responsible for overseeing daily operations in the territory. However, the terrorist group has conditioned the surrender of its heavier weaponry on the creation of a Palestinian state, something that Washington and Tel Aviv reject, which means pressure on the Palestinian group will intensify.
Netanyahu visited Trump at the White House earlier this month
