Kushner and Mladenov Expected to Arrive in Israel for Talks
Trump's envoy Jared Kushner plans to arrive in Israel next week for talks on Gaza, along with Nikolay Mladenov. The visit aims to advance the Peace Council's plan to disarm Hamas, amid skepticism from Netanyahu's government and upcoming elections. American officials expressed understanding of Netanyahu's political needs but stressed the need to restrain strikes. Meanwhile, an increase in approved targeted killings was reported.
President Trump's envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, plans to arrive in Israel next week for talks on the situation in Gaza, according to five sources familiar with the plan. This will be Kushner's first trip to Israel since January. The visit comes as the White House and Trump's Peace Council try to advance the next phase of the plan for Gaza, focusing on disarming Hamas and a possible Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu's government is very skeptical of the plan, and the upcoming elections in October make the issue politically sensitive. A senior American official said: "We agree on the strategic goal, but Israel has expressed some reservations about the plan, and we want to talk to them to ensure we are aligned." Two weeks ago, Trump announced that the Peace Council had reached an agreement with Hamas on disarming the organization and transferring control to a technocratic Palestinian government. On Sunday, under pressure, Netanyahu publicly rejected the plan. A senior American official said the White House saw his statement as part of election politics. "We understand Bibi's political needs. We have no problem with that as long as he continues to do what we ask - especially regarding restraint of strikes in Gaza," the official said. Since then, Israel has carried out fewer strikes, and the IDF has withdrawn to the "yellow line." Kushner will arrive with Nikolay Mladenov and meet with Netanyahu and other senior officials. He may visit additional countries. The White House does not want the elections to lead to a stalemate. "The elections are making everyone hysterical," a senior official admitted. Meanwhile, it was reported that in the past week and a half, the IDF submitted requests for targeted killings that were not approved, but in the last three days there has been a change and additional killings were approved. During the day, two strikes were carried out, one in Khan Younis and one in Gaza City. The offices of the Prime Minister and Defense Minister denied preventing targeted killings.