Kushner Meets Netanyahu as Gaza Peace Plan Faces Israeli Rejection

US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Jared Kushner is meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel as Washington seeks to advance its Gaza peace initiative. Netanyahu’s spokesperson confirmed the meeting to the BBC. Kushner arrived in Israel after holding talks with Hamas on Sunday over implementation of the US-backed Gaza peace plan.

The talks come after Israel rejected Trump’s 15-point proposal last week. The plan calls for an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza and the reconstruction of the territory under a new civilian Palestinian administration. The development followed an announcement by Trump’s Board of Peace that it had reached an agreement on the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. Eight Muslim-majority countries subsequently issued a statement condemning Israel’s rejection of the proposed roadmap.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian official told the BBC that Kushner met in Egypt with a Hamas delegation led by the group’s new leader, Khalil al-Hayya. Hamas later called on mediators and the Board of Peace to pressure Israel to approve the roadmap and move forward with the next stage of the proposed agreement. The latest diplomatic efforts indicate that Washington is attempting to bridge major differences between Israel and Hamas over the future administration, security arrangements and reconstruction of Gaza.