Netanyahu-Kushner Meeting: No Israeli Withdrawal From Gaza Until Hamas Is Disarmed

U.S. Middle East envoy Jared Kushner met today for four hours with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his office in Jerusalem. Kushner arrived in Israel last night, accompanied by Gaza Peace Council head Nikolay Mladenov and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who serves as a member of the council.

During the meeting, Kushner updated Netanyahu on his talks yesterday in Cairo with a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, as well as with representatives of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey. An Israeli political source said after the meeting that the sides agreed there would be no Israeli withdrawal from the Strip without Hamas' complete disarmament. According to the source, every future step in Gaza will be conditional on the organization's demilitarization, under American oversight, not Qatar or Turkey.

According to reports in various media outlets, the Israeli source said that Hamas will be required to hand over its weapons for destruction under the supervision of American General Jeffries. At the same time, the IDF's freedom of action against threats, including an operational presence on the ground, will be maintained.

The Prime Minister's Office said: "The prime minister and the Peace Council held in-depth and constructive discussions. It was agreed to establish two working groups: one on disarmament and the demilitarization of Gaza, which Israel and the Peace Council are determined must be completed quickly before any reconstruction in Gaza. A second working group will focus on sanitation, clean water, and other public-health issues for Gaza's residents, which also affect Israeli citizens."

It should be noted that Shin Bet chief David Zini and Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder also attended the meeting and briefed participants on Hamas violations in Gaza. A source on the Peace Council said that Israel presented its security concerns at the meeting "professionally," and that the council is taking them into account. 

According to the source, there is broad agreement on the goal: dismantling Hamas' weapons and rule, fully demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, and only then carrying out a full Israeli withdrawal. The source added that the atmosphere at the meeting was positive and that there is mutual interest in moving the process forward.