Full story
Kushner pushes Gaza roadmap
Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to push a 15-point Gaza plan Israel has rejected, after Kushner visited El-Alamein, Egypt to convene with Qatari, Turkish and Egyptian mediators.
“with the objective of translating the roadmap’s obligations into concrete, verifiable steps”
Al Jazeera reported that Kushner was accompanied by Board of Peace Director-General Nickolay Mladenov and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, and that Kushner also held a rare meeting with members of the Hamas group’s political leadership “with the objective of translating the roadmap’s obligations into concrete, verifiable steps”.
The Independent said the talks are aimed at saving the 15-point roadmap for peace in Gaza, with Netanyahu publicly rejecting the roadmap earlier this month and Hamas saying it will not disarm until Israel fulfills its ceasefire obligations.
NPR reported that Kushner will meet Netanyahu on Monday and that the talks aim to salvage the new 15-point, U.S.-backed road map for Hamas to disarm in Gaza and Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian territory shattered by war.
Al Jazeera added that at least 1,260 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israel since the ceasefire took effect.
Condemnations and competing demands
Ahead of Monday’s meeting, regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s rejection of the plan, declaring that "Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza."
The Times of India reported that Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan issued a joint statement saying the move "seriously undermines collective efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace."
Hamas said it accepted the plan but that implementing it would depend on Israel first meeting its own commitments, including withdrawing its forces and halting attacks, while Netanyahu objected to a provision under which Hamas would gradually disarm and hand over governance of the strip to an international force.
The Independent said Hamas says it will not disarm until Israel fulfills its ceasefire obligations, and it described the roadmap as being at a critical stage with Netanyahu’s rejection framed as a rare show of defiance against the Trump administration.
NPR reported that the Hamas official said the group is committed and waiting for mediators to start the 14-day negotiation period to work out a timetable for implementation, with the period requiring all parties’ approval of the road map to begin.
What’s at stake next
The Independent said at stake is the future of approximately 2 million people in Gaza and the rebuilding of the densely populated enclave, which remains mostly under the control of Israeli forces more than 10 months after the ceasefire halted major military operations.
“"Rejecting the Road Map constitutes an explicit refusal to proceed with the implementation"”
DW reported that the foreign ministers of the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt issued a joint statement warning that "Rejecting the Road Map constitutes an explicit refusal to proceed with the implementation" of the plan.
CBS News said the rare meeting in Egypt with Hamas’ Khalil al-Hayya was aimed at translating the plan negotiated by Trump’s international Board of Peace into concrete, verifiable steps, including maintaining the ceasefire and beginning to transfer governing responsibilities to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
Euronews reported that Hamas announced its approval of the road map for the second phase, while fundamental disagreements remained over the mechanism for disarmament, the timetable for Israeli withdrawal, and arrangements for Gaza’s management in the next phase.
Al Jazeera said Netanyahu is seeking re-election in October and has publicly rejected the plan, objecting to the provision under which Hamas would gradually disarm and hand over governance of the strip to an international force in exchange for Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza.
