Israel not in sync with US on Hamas, Gaza, must avoid becoming 'client state,' ex-consul warns

Israel is not fully in sync with the United States, Yaki Dayan, a former Israeli consul in Los Angeles, told Radio 103FM on Monday while discussing the meeting between Jared Kushner, Board of Peace officials, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Kushner, Nickolay Mladenov, Tony Blair, and members of the Board of Peace arrived in Israel to meet with Netanyahu. During the meeting, held on Monday, several understandings were reached regarding the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. "We are not completely in sync with the Americans, and that needs to be said," Dayan said at the start of the interview. "I saw that the prime minister reprimanded Kushner over his meeting yesterday with Hamas leaders. It is really infuriating to see the Americans meeting with them, even though that is their practice and that is how they operate, but still, they are sitting with these murderous people and discussing things with them."Asked why the United States conducts negotiations with terrorists, Dayan said that "during Donald Trump's time, every taboo has been broken," adding that the Americans tend to meet with all parties across the spectrum as part of their standard practice, something that has angered Netanyahu.US looking to begin Hamas disarmament as Israel withdraws"The Americans are trying to find some kind of formula in which steps will be taken simultaneously," Dayan explained. Under this formula, Hamas would begin disarming while Israel carries out limited withdrawals at the same time. The proposal has raised suspicions in Israel."We want Hamas to completely disarm, and not leave the weapons in some warehouse under Palestinian guard," he said. He added that Israel would not accept a situation in which Hamas determines the conditions for an Israeli withdrawal or an end to the fighting.Netanyahu not accepting US plan for Hamas, GazaLater in the interview, Dayan said, "What the prime minister is saying right now is: 'This is not acceptable to me.' I already saw the statement that came out of the meeting between Kushner and Netanyahu. It said that the Americans would be responsible for this entire process, which is interesting wording."He stressed that he was not referring to a joint statement, but rather to the wording of the statement issued by Netanyahu's office.Nevertheless, the Americans are insisting on progress. "The Americans want to see movement, and you need them on the nuclear issue, so there are things on the margins where you can compromise with them. Now all that remains is for us to define what those margins are," he said. "And that is exactly the task we have to accomplish, because otherwise we are defining ourselves as a full-fledged client state, and that must not happen."