Kushner Holds Consecutive Talks with Netanyahu and Hamas, Fails to Break Deadlock

Principled Agreement Reached on Demilitarization
Netanyahu Refuses Israeli Troop Withdrawal

Reuters Yonhap News

Jared Kushner, the U.S. Middle East envoy and son-in-law of President Donald Trump, has stated that he successfully secured a principled agreement on demilitarizing the Gaza Strip after meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and representatives of Hamas. However, since both sides remain at an impasse regarding their respective preconditions—Israel demanding verifiable Hamas disarmament and Hamas calling for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops—expectations are growing that actual negotiations will become gridlocked.

According to the Times of Israel (TOI) on August 17 (local time), Special Envoy Kushner announced after talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu that the two agreed on a plan for the demilitarization of Gaza, which includes the disarmament and surrender of weapons by Hamas militants under U.S. military supervision. As outlined in the plan, Hamas would turn over its weapons to the U.S. military and begin disarmament under the supervision of American generals.

In an interview with Fox News following the talks, Kushner said, "We could see progress on demilitarization within as soon as 30 days and may begin removing some weapons," adding, "Efforts to fill Hamas's underground tunnels in Gaza could also take place within the next 60 to 90 days."

During the meeting, Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed to the demilitarization plan in principle but stated that Israeli troops cannot immediately withdraw from Gaza. Quoting Israeli officials, TOI reported: "Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will not pull out until full disarmament by Hamas has been personally verified, and he committed to preventing threats to Israeli soldiers and citizens." The two sides also agreed that no reconstruction projects in Gaza should begin until complete disarmament of Hamas has been achieved.

Hamas, for its part, is demanding that Israel withdraw from Gaza first. According to Al Jazeera, during talks with Special Envoy Kushner the previous day, Hamas representatives insisted, "Before implementing the roadmap, including disarmament, Israel must stop its attacks on Gaza and withdraw beyond the Yellow Line (the operational boundary)."

Despite the agreement, prospects remain dim for commencing peace negotiations over Gaza. The UK Guardian pointed out that "President Trump has entrusted the peace process solely to a small group of associates and family members with little negotiation experience, weakening the United States' diplomatic capacity," and added, "While both Israel and Hamas publicly declare agreement, they appear intent on exploiting the inexperience of the American personnel involved in the negotiations to pursue their own interests at a detailed level."

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