US President Donald Trump’s special envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner has met directly with Hamas amid Israel’s objections. The meeting is seen as an important step in the implementation of Trump’s 15-point plan on ending the war in Gaza and the next political arrangement.
Kushner met with a delegation led by Hamas political leader Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo, Egypt for more than two hours. The director general of Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Nikolai Mladenov and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair were with him in the meeting.
The United States officially considers Hamas a banned and terrorist organization. In this situation, the direct meeting of the US official with the Hamas leaders is considered diplomatically important. According to analysts, the United States is also realizing that Hamas cannot be completely eliminated if a permanent solution to the future of Gaza is to be found.
Israel’s objection
Trump’s 15-point plan calls for an end to military operations in Gaza, the gradual deactivation and storage of Hamas weapons, the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the deployment of international stability forces. There are also plans to later govern Gaza through a Palestinian technical administration.
But Netanyahu rejected the plan. He claimed that the Israeli army will not be withdrawn from Gaza until Hamas is completely disarmed. As a result, the main dispute arose over which phase of the plan should be implemented first.
Hamas says it is ready to accept the plan. However, before its implementation, Israel must accept the terms of the ceasefire and stop attacks on Gaza. Hamas alleged that Israeli attacks continued even after the ceasefire came into effect. At least 1,260 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect.
Why it matters to Trump
According to analysts, a compromise on the Gaza issue could be considered a major diplomatic success for Trump. Under pressure on other foreign policy issues, including Iran, Trump is now looking to show a breakthrough by ending the war in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey criticized Israel’s rejection of the Gaza plan in a joint statement. The countries have said that any obstruction to the implementation of the plan could derail international efforts to end the war in Gaza.
Kushner’s direct meeting with Hamas is therefore not just a diplomatic meeting; It is also seen as a sign of a change in the US position on the Gaza issue. However, the implementation of Trump’s 15-point plan is still difficult if the dispute over the order of disarmament of Hamas, withdrawal of Israeli forces and cessation of hostilities is not resolved.
