U.S. envoy Jared Kushner pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to advance Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan and “not create obstacles” to its implementation during a meeting that lasted more than four hours, according to an Israeli source familiar with the discussions.
Netanyahu, who rejected the 15-point plan earlier this month, told Kushner that implementing the proposal was “problematic” because of Israel’s upcoming elections, scheduled for late October, the source told CNN.
With Netanyahu seeking to maintain the support of his right-wing electorate while trailing in repeated opinion polls, the Israeli prime minister has shown a willingness to make concessions on Gaza ahead of the election.
Instead, Netanyahu told Kushner and Nickolay Mladenov, director of the Board of Peace, that Hamas needed to take steps first, according to the source. Kushner and Mladenov met with Hamas representatives in Egypt on Sunday.
Netanyahu has demanded that Hamas fully disarm before Israel begins withdrawing its forces from Gaza.
Hamas, however, has said it is prepared to disarm only if the move takes place in parallel with a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.
The dispute highlights one of the central obstacles to implementing the U.S.-backed plan: the sequencing of Hamas disarmament and the Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza.
With the Israeli elections approaching, pressure on Netanyahu to balance domestic political considerations with Washington’s efforts to advance the ceasefire framework is expected to intensify.
