Shortly after Netanyahu’s office announced that the prime minister and the Board of Peace held “deep and constructive” discussions about the future of Gaza and dismantling Hamas, a Board of Peace source told Reuters on Monday: “The meeting with Netanyahu was long, deep and effective. We agreed with the PM on the path forward—Israel is giving this a chance.”
2+Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Board officials, together with Jared Kushner, held talks today that were described as “deep and constructive.” At the end of the meeting, the sides agreed to establish two working teams to deal with Gaza’s future. According to the statement, Israel and the Board of Peace are determined to bring about the disarmament and demilitarization of the Strip quickly, with the process set to be completed before any reconstruction of Gaza begins. A second team will be established to handle sanitation, clean water supply, and public health issues.
The statement released after the meeting said: “The Prime Minister and the Board of Peace held deep and constructive discussions. It was agreed to establish two working teams: one on the issue of disarmament and demilitarization of Gaza, which both Israel and the Board of Peace are determined to carry out quickly and complete before any reconstruction in Gaza. A second working team will focus on sanitation, clean water, and additional public health issues for Gaza residents, which also affect Israeli residents.”
2+One of the most significant conclusions from the meeting concerns the conditions for beginning Gaza’s reconstruction: according to the understandings between the prime minister and the Board of Peace, reconstruction work will not begin before the disarmament and demilitarization of the Strip is completed. In other words, from Israel’s perspective, it will not be possible to move forward with broad reconstruction of infrastructure and buildings as long as Hamas and other armed organizations hold military capabilities.
A dedicated working team will be established to advance the demilitarization process, with both sides making clear they want the move carried out quickly and completed before reconstruction begins. This position aligns with Netanyahu’s recent demand that Hamas be stripped of its weapons before irreversible steps are taken in the Strip.
2+The agreement comes against the backdrop of renewed American efforts to advance the next phase of the Gaza plan. Jared Kushner met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem after holding an unusual meeting in Egypt with senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya. At the center of the contact is the question of disarming Hamas and its connection to Israeli steps in the Strip.