Kushner meets Netanyahu in US push for Gaza ceasefire plan

US Middle East negotiator Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss a US-backed 15-point road map for advancing a Gaza ceasefire, after holding more than two hours of talks with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt.

The latest diplomatic push comes after Netanyahu rejected the road map, which includes Hamas disarmament and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas has said it accepts the plan and urged mediators and the US-created Board of Peace to “compel” Israel to sign on.

Israel, however, says Hamas must fully disarm before any Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair and Board of Peace Director Nickolay Mladenov also attended Kushner’s meeting with Netanyahu, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

The negotiations have significant implications for some 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, the reconstruction of the territory and arrangements for its future governance.

Israeli forces currently control about 60 per cent of Gaza, and Netanyahu has previously threatened to expand that control.

Kushner holds talks with Hamas

Kushner’s meeting with Netanyahu came a day after he spent more than two hours meeting Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt, according to a regional official and a Hamas official.

Officials from Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye, which are involved in mediation efforts, also attended the meeting.

The Hamas official said al-Hayya demanded that Israel halt its attacks on Gaza and withdraw to the so-called “yellow line” before implementation of the road map could begin.

The line has never been precisely defined, and Israeli forces have moved beyond it while maintaining control over about 60 per cent of the territory.

In May, Netanyahu said the next stage would be to expand Israeli control to 70 per cent, with Israel “tightening the grip” on Hamas “from every direction.”

Regional pressure on Israel

Several regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, criticised Israel’s rejection of the road map in a joint statement on Sunday.

“Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza,” they said.

Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia and the ceasefire mediators were among the other signatories.

The foreign ministers called on the Board of Peace and the US to take “immediate and concrete measures” to prevent any party from obstructing implementation of the plan.

Israel did not immediately respond to the statement.

Under the proposed road map, Hamas would hand over its weapons to a Palestinian technocratic committee intended to oversee daily administration in Gaza. The committee has not yet entered the territory.

Hamas has linked the surrender of its heavier weapons to the creation of a Palestinian state, while the road map proposes a “credible pathway toward achieving Palestinian self-determination and statehood”. Israel’s current government rejects Palestinian statehood.

Until the road map is agreed, other elements of the ceasefire remain on hold, including reconstruction and the deployment of international forces to separate Israeli forces from areas controlled by the Palestinian committee.

Netanyahu is also facing a challenging election on 27 October as he seeks to retain power with a coalition that includes ministers advocating a hard line on Gaza.

The anniversary of the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which triggered the war, is also approaching.