Talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may start a Gaza peace plan could begin within a month – if progress is made in meeting Hamas’ disarmament and Gaza implementation requirements – says U.S. envoy Jared Kushner.
In the first steps, gun-taking measures against the Hamas could be followed by measures to tackle the network of the tunnels in Gaza, Kushner said during his remarks with reporters in the Israeli capital Tel Aviv. The remarks followed talks with Netanyahu about the prerequisites for moving forward with the U.S.-backed initiative meant to end the Gaza crisis.
Netanyahu and Kushner agreed to an American general as a supervisor of the demilitarization of Hamas, according to an Israeli official. Israel has also insisted there would be no redeployment or reconstruction in Gaza, until Hamas was disarmed across its entire region.
The plan would reportedly remain in place until Hamas turns over its arms for decommissioning under the watch of U.S. Gen. Keith Alexander. It is conceived to include the expected deployment of the proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF).
The roadmap originally signed by Hamas on July 30 is said to include a plan for putting down arms under the supervision of the force headed by US Major General Jasper Jeffers.
All weapons removed would be completely dismantled in the future to ensure their non-existence, and Israel would maintain the right of self-defence, an official attached to Trump’s “Board of Peace” said.
Kushner held unusual direct talks with Hamas officials in Egypt, during which he discussed his views. Hamas has made it plain its open to the Gaza plan and demanded pressure be applied to Netanyahu.
Among those who participated in the discussions were former British prime minister Tony Blair, and other Trump’s “Board of Peace”. Kushner allegedly urged Hamas to make a concrete gesture regarding its determination to abandon the chemical weapons, as well as renouncing any governmental role in Gaza later.
The new talks come as a fresh drive by the United States to resolve disputes between Israel and Hamas and to begin to take the partial Gaza peace pledges closer to fruition.