Kushner heads to Middle East to push Gaza peace plan amid Israeli opposition

Jared Kushner, a key negotiator for former U.S. President Donald Trump, is embarking on a Middle East tour to push a plan for ending the Gaza conflict. The initiative faces significant hurdles, including recent opposition from Israel to an agreement previously announced by the Trump administration.

Kushner, along with the Peace Council's High Representative Nickolay Mladenov and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, is scheduled to visit Israel before heading to Cairo. In Egypt's capital, meetings will focus on a U.S.-sponsored ceasefire agreement that designates a Palestinian technocratic group to administer the Gaza Strip. The ultimate goal, according to an official, is to achieve "sustainable peace, prosperity, and security" in a demilitarized Gaza, with Hamas ceding control to facilitate reconstruction.

However, the path forward is complicated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stance. Israel has rejected a recent Trump proposal that included Hamas disarmament and Israeli troop withdrawal. Despite Hamas reportedly accepting the plan to hand over weapons, Netanyahu has publicly stated that Israel will not withdraw its forces until the militant group is completely disarmed. This creates a clear point of tension between the Israeli government and the Trump administration's peace initiative.

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achieve sustainable peace, prosperity, and security