Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an extended meeting today (Monday) with Jared Kushner and other senior members of the Board of Peace, focused on Gaza’s future and dismantling Hamas’s arsenal. The talks lasted roughly four hours, followed by a one-hour private conversation between Netanyahu and Kushner.
Among the understandings reached: reconstruction of the Strip won’t begin until Hamas disarms across its entire territory, and weapons handed over won’t just be decommissioned—they’ll be destroyed. At the same time, Israel won’t change its assassination policy, despite an American demand on the issue. The extended meeting itself, as well as the participation of Kushner, Tony Blair, and Nikolay Mladenov, has also been reported in the international media. The broader discussion lasted roughly four hours. Afterward, Netanyahu and Jared Kushner held a private conversation that lasted another hour. Joining Kushner at the meeting were U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Nikolay Mladenov, and other senior Peace Council officials.
One of the central issues discussed was the question of Hamas disarmament—and the connection between that process and the start of Gaza reconstruction. According to details from the meeting, no reconstruction of the Gaza Strip will begin until Hamas disarms throughout the entire Strip. Israel is seeking to ensure that reconstruction doesn’t advance in parallel with the terror organization continuing to hold weapons. This issue stands at the heart of the dispute over the American framework. Netanyahu has made clear in recent weeks that Israel requires full disarmament of Hamas, while the framework discussed in the international arena involved a more gradual process.
Another achievement from Israel’s perspective concerns weapons that will be handed over as part of Hamas’s disarmament. According to the understanding, the weapons won’t simply be decommissioned—they’ll be destroyed. Oversight of the process will be American, led by General Jeffries. The implication is that weapons Hamas hands over won’t be stored in a way that allows them to be returned to use in the future, but will be removed from the system entirely through destruction. The report published after the meeting also noted that an understanding was reached whereby, in the first stage, Hamas’s weapons will be transferred directly to American forces for destruction. Another sensitive issue raised at the meeting is Israel’s assassination policy in the Strip. Despite American demands on the matter, Israeli policy won’t change. The practical meaning is that if an operational opportunity arises to eliminate a target Israel chooses to act against—the operation will be able to proceed, as it has until now. From Israel’s perspective, this means preserving operational freedom of action even as political contacts advance around Hamas disarmament and the Strip’s future.
The Jerusalem meeting took place after Kushner met in Egypt with senior Hamas officials, led by Khalil al-Hayya, in an attempt to advance implementation of the American plan for Gaza. According to reports, Kushner pressed Hamas to begin concrete steps toward disarmament, while the organization tied implementation of the move to commitments from Israel. The central dispute concerns the sequence of actions. The American framework discussed in recent weeks includes a process of Hamas disarmament alongside gradual Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu, by contrast, has stated publicly that Israel demands the full dismantling of Hamas and other armed organizations before withdrawal.
The understandings reached at the meeting take on special importance from Israel’s perspective: Gaza reconstruction is conditional on Hamas disarming throughout all of Gaza, weapons transferred will be destroyed and not just neutralized, and Israel maintains its assassination policy. Still, the main test will be in implementation. Hamas has expressed willingness to advance the disarmament framework, but has set conditions regarding Israeli steps, and the gap between the sides over the sequence of actions still stands at the heart of the contacts.