Talks between Benjamin Netanyahu and Jared Kushner helped clarify the remaining disagreements over the U.S. plan for the future of Gaza, but failed to produce any major breakthrough, Axios reported on August 17. Kushner arrived in Israel after meeting Hamas leaders and Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators in Cairo on Sunday, before holding nearly four hours of talks with the Israeli prime minister.

At the heart of the discussions were Hamas’s disarmament, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the conditions for rebuilding Gaza. Netanyahu remains deeply skeptical of Hamas’s willingness to disarm and considers the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups a prerequisite for any Israeli withdrawal. He is also demanding that all of the group’s funding sources be cut off, according to Al-Quds.

Kushner nevertheless urged Israel to take “small steps” to determine whether Hamas’s commitment to begin disarming is genuine. According to a U.S. official, Washington is not asking Israel to refrain from responding to an imminent threat, but wants to avoid strikes that are not aimed at immediate threats. Defining what constitutes an imminent threat, however, remains one of the main points of contention.

A “deconfliction” mechanism

To prevent further escalation, the two sides reportedly agreed to establish a “deconfliction” mechanism, with Egyptian mediators expected to take part. The mechanism would monitor potential ceasefire violations and allow the parties to flag emerging threats before they escalate.

The fate of Hamas’s weapons also remains a key issue. Under the framework presented by Kushner, Hamas would first hand over its weapons to a Palestinian technocratic government, which would then transfer them to the International Stabilization Force for destruction. This step would have to be completed before reconstruction in Gaza could begin.

Netanyahu’s elections in the spotlight

Netanyahu, for his part, presented Kushner with intelligence gathered by Israel’s military and security services regarding alleged Hamas violations. He also showed him opinion polls indicating that a majority of Israelis oppose rebuilding Gaza before the enclave is demilitarized and support continued strikes against imminent threats.

The talks nevertheless resulted in an agreement to establish two working groups: one focused on Gaza’s demilitarization and the other on the humanitarian situation. Netanyahu also reportedly committed to taking steps to improve access to water and sanitation in the enclave.

Israel’s political climate is complicating the negotiations. With elections scheduled for October 27, Netanyahu is under considerable political pressure and appears reluctant to make major concessions on Gaza. Washington is now hoping that Hamas will provide concrete evidence of its willingness to disarm, helping convince Israel to move forward with the process.

The meeting therefore failed to resolve the main sticking points, but it did produce a clearer roadmap. For Washington, the next test will be whether Hamas is actually prepared to hand over its first weapons and whether Israel, in return, is willing to take the necessary steps to move the process forward.

Source: Axios / Al-Quds