Jared Kushner, advisor to President Donald Trump, is calling for a change in how the world delivers aid money to the Gaza Strip. In a closed-door conversation with foreign ministers from Europe and Arab states held in Brussels for the launch of an aid package worth roughly €900 million, Kushner presented what he calls a “new approach” to rebuilding the Strip, according to Euronews.
1+During the video conference, Kushner criticized the current aid system, arguing it’s been shaped step by step by non-governmental organizations and terrorist actors. According to him, a steady flow of money reached Hamas, which used it to buy weapons, build tunnels, and develop rockets.
Kushner made clear that the world needs to move from “giving painkillers” to the problem toward real change of direction, emphasizing that the goal should be creating a situation where future donor conferences won’t be necessary.
1+“One Government with One Gun”
One of the central themes in Kushner’s remarks was disarming Hamas. He made clear that reconstruction efforts in Gaza can’t succeed as long as armed organizations hold military capabilities. He presented the principle of “one government with one gun” as a basic condition for any progress. Though he didn’t name UNRWA specifically, his words were interpreted as a call to bypass the organization—a position likely to create friction with the European Union, the agency’s largest donor.