Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met for four hours Monday with Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, as Kushner seeks to finalize a framework for ending the war in Gaza.
The meeting began one-on-one before Nikolay Mladenov, head of the U.S.-led Board of Peace, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and other representatives joined the talks. An Israeli diplomatic official said Lebanon and the West Bank were not discussed during the expanded meeting. It was unclear whether they came up in the private conversation between Netanyahu and Kushner.
Netanyahu’s office did not release a photograph from the meeting and issued a statement only in English, saying the prime minister and the Board of Peace had held “deep and constructive discussions.”
The sides agreed to establish two working groups. One will address the disarmament of Hamas and demilitarization of Gaza, which Israel and the Board of Peace agreed must be completed quickly before reconstruction begins. The second will focus on sanitation, clean water and other public health issues affecting Gaza residents as well as Israelis.
Kushner arrived in Israel on Sunday after meeting in Egypt with a delegation of senior Hamas officials.
According to the Israeli official, the sides agreed Monday that reconstruction would not begin until Hamas had been disarmed throughout the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu demanded that the first step be for Hamas to surrender its weapons for destruction to Gen. Jasper Jeffers, commander of the International Stabilization Force for Gaza, or ISF, under U.S. supervision.
A Board of Peace official confirmed the account, saying Israel had presented its security concerns “professionally” and that the board was taking them seriously.
“Everyone agrees on the ultimate goal: the complete dismantling of Hamas’ weapons and rule, the full demilitarization of Gaza and only then a complete Israeli withdrawal,” the official said. “The direction of the meeting was positive, and there is a mutual desire to give this a chance.”
Hamas given weeks to show ‘real’ disarmament
The Board of Peace official said Hamas would have several weeks to demonstrate tangible steps toward disarming.
“Within a few weeks, Hamas will have to show real and concrete steps that it is actually beginning to disarm. Not just ‘on paper,’” the official said.
“If it does so, that is a very positive step. If not, it will be clear to everyone that it does not actually intend to implement what it signed. In that case, Israel will have international diplomatic backing to act to disarm Hamas.”
“The Israelis are going to give this a chance,” the official added. “Now it depends on Hamas to show whether it really intends to comply.”
Israel is also demanding that the IDF remain along the so-called "yellow line," which separates the area of Gaza under Israeli control from territory controlled by Hamas, and retain the ability to act against threats to Israeli troops.
U.S. officials have previously expressed unease over Israel’s continued policy of targeted killings in Gaza. Netanyahu, however, told the meeting that anyone involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre would remain a target, as would anyone posing a threat to Israeli troops.
The participants also discussed concerns about a potential sanitation crisis in Gaza. They warned of the risk of disease outbreaks and agreed to develop a plan aimed at preventing contamination of groundwater and beaches.
‘I won’t interfere with how you protect yourselves’
According to the Israeli side, the tone of the meeting was positive and Kushner agreed with Israel’s position that reconstruction should not precede demilitarization.
An Israeli diplomatic official said Netanyahu’s statement last month rejecting a proposed 15-point plan had prompted the Board of Peace to reassess its approach.
“Kushner used the phrase, ‘I won’t interfere with how you protect yourselves,’” the official said.
The Israeli delegation also made clear that it would not agree to anything that could pave the way for the establishment of a Palestinian state, the official said.
“There was an approach that wanted to begin with pilot programs, but now there are no pilots,” the official said. “Hamas must demonstrate the destruction of weapons.”
Israel also insisted that any disarmament process must prevent Hamas from merely turning over defective or unusable weapons to create the appearance of compliance.
“The Americans said they are determined to see the plan move forward, and Netanyahu told them that the test of seriousness would be the surrender of the weapons,” the official said.
Netanyahu confronts Kushner over Hamas meeting
Netanyahu also criticized Kushner during their talks for meeting with Hamas leaders in Egypt.
“These are the architects of Oct. 7,” Netanyahu told him, according to the Israeli official. Kushner did not respond.
Shin Bet chief David Zini and IDF Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder presented Kushner and the other representatives with extensive intelligence on conditions in Gaza and Hamas’ efforts to rebuild its capabilities. The presentation included Israeli intelligence alleging that Turkey is financing Hamas.
Herzog meets Kushner, Mladenov
Kushner and Mladenov also met Monday with President Isaac Herzog, who, unlike Netanyahu, released photographs of his meeting.
The President’s Residence said they discussed efforts by the Board of Peace, under Trump and his team, to advance the next phases of the Gaza plan.
The Board of Peace delegation at the President's Residence in Jerusalem
(Photo: Shalev Shalom)
“The next stages in Gaza must ensure the security of the State of Israel and its citizens, and bring stability and a better future for all the peoples of the region,” Herzog said.
Herzog praised Trump, Kushner, Mladenov and their teams for working toward “a brighter and more secure future" for Israel and the Gaza Strip based on Trump’s 20-point plan.
“This is a challenging issue,” Herzog said. “I was impressed that Israel’s security interests are an important and central element of their plan. I commended and encouraged their efforts to ensure a brighter and more secure future for the people of Israel, the people of Gaza, and the entire region.”