Trump's Son-in-Law Kushner Meets With Hamas Leader
US presidential adviser Jared Kushner met Hamas's new leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt, urging concrete, verifiable steps toward a Gaza settlement. Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to the US-proposed plan, though Israel has so far rejected it.
Jared Kushner, adviser and son-in-law to US President Donald Trump, met with Hamas's new leader Khalil al-Hayya in the Egyptian coastal city of El Alamein, according to a source cited by AFP. During the talks, Kushner called on Hamas to take concrete, verifiable steps and stated clearly that Gaza must never again become a source of terror against Israel.
This was al-Hayya's first such visit since he took over leadership of the group in July. Shortly after assuming leadership, Hamas had voiced support for the US-proposed plan to settle the situation in Gaza, and in this meeting with Kushner the group again reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the plan.
Call to Pressure Israel
Following the meeting, Hamas said it had called on mediating countries and Trump's Peace Council to press Israel to approve the plan and begin drawing up a timeline for its implementation.
A photo released by the Egyptian hosts of the talks showed Kushner at a table with members of the Peace Council, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Representatives of Qatar and Turkey, which alongside Egypt are the main mediators in the process, also took part in the talks. Al-Hayya himself did not appear in the photo.
Israeli Objections
In July, Trump's Peace Council had already announced that agreement had been reached on disarming Hamas and other armed groups in the Gaza Strip. However, last week Israel rejected Trump's 15-point plan, which would call for withdrawing Israeli troops from Gaza and rebuilding the territory under a new Palestinian civilian administration.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israeli troops will not withdraw until Hamas is genuinely disarmed.
