Netanyahu Tells Kushner Gaza Plan Progress Difficult Due to Israeli Elections

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Monday with Jared Kushner, the US President Donald Trump's envoy, and Nikolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. The meeting lasted about four hours and was followed by a session between Mladenov, Kushner, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog. According to an Israeli source cited by CNN, Kushner urged Netanyahu not to create obstacles to the US administration's Gaza plan. Netanyahu responded that advancing the plan is problematic because of the upcoming Israeli elections.

Reports from Sky News indicated the discussion focused on the disarmament of Hamas under American supervision. Netanyahu reportedly opposed any Israeli military withdrawal from the "yellow line" border at this time, emphasizing the need to maintain Israel's freedom of military action against Hamas. The main disagreement between Israel and the US concerns the sequence of events: the US favors a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza alongside Hamas's disarmament, while Israel insists Hamas must be disarmed before any significant troop pullback.

The talks highlight the complex dynamics between Israel and the US regarding Gaza's future security arrangements amid political sensitivities in Israel ahead of elections. The next steps remain uncertain as both sides seek to reconcile their differing approaches to Hamas's disarmament and Israeli military presence in Gaza.