Jared Kushner, a key negotiator and former White House advisor, is scheduled to travel to the Middle East next week to advance efforts for an end to the conflict in Gaza. The trip comes as a recently announced deal, brokered by the Trump administration, faces opposition from Israeli leadership.
An official with the Board of Peace, an entity established by former President Trump to oversee the Gaza ceasefire, confirmed that Kushner, along with board high representative Nickolay Mladenov and executive board member Tony Blair, will arrive in Israel on Sunday. The group is then slated to travel to Cairo for meetings.
These meetings are intended to demonstrate the commitment of the Trump administration and the Board of Peace to achieving "peace, prosperity and sustainable security" in a demilitarized Gaza. The plan outlines Hamas ceding control to facilitate the reconstruction of the territory.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly stated that Israel will not withdraw its forces from the Palestinian territory until Hamas has completely disarmed, a stance that contradicts the terms of the recently announced deal. Hamas, on the other hand, has accepted the plan for weapons decommissioning.
The agreement had been viewed as a significant potential breakthrough for ending the war in Gaza. It was reportedly based on an October ceasefire that concluded major military operations and led to the release of hostages, but progress on other aspects of the plan has stalled.
Kushner's visit aims to address these points of friction and to move forward with the proposed ceasefire and reconstruction efforts.