Jerusalem Talks: Netanyahu and Kushner Discuss Hamas Demilitarization
The Prime Minister is meeting with a US administration advisor and Peace Council officials to discuss a 15-point plan. The talks follow Hamas's stated willingness to disarm and the proposed establishment of civilian pilot zones in the Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting in Jerusalem with US administration advisor Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Peace Council CEO Nickolay Mladenov. The parties are discussing a practical framework for regulating control over the Gaza Strip and the demilitarization of Hamas.
The four-way meeting aims to present an applicable framework for managing Gaza that addresses Israel's security requirements. At the center of the discussion is the 15-point agreement, previously rejected by the Prime Minister. Representatives of the Peace Council and the US administration are now seeking to reach agreements on implementation stages on the ground.
The emerging framework proposes transferring civilian authorities in the Strip to a technocratic council and preparing infrastructure for the disarmament of Hamas. According to the plan, "pilot zones" free of Hamas will be established in the Rafah area and in the north of the Strip, similar to the model implemented in Lebanon. In these areas, temporary camps will be built for displaced residents, and education, health, and infrastructure services will be provided without the involvement of the terrorist organization.
To maintain order in the pilot zones, it is proposed to deploy an International Security Force (ISF) within weeks. The force will initially consist of soldiers from Uganda and Kosovo, with soldiers from Morocco to be integrated later. Israel has expressed principled agreement to the move, but has not yet finalized operational details and the force's authorities.
Alongside this, the plan includes a renewal of the ceasefire under previous conditions that allow the IDF to fire at emerging threats and protect forces located along the yellow line.
Kushner's arrival in Israel follows a meeting he held in El Alamein, Egypt, with a Hamas delegation and representatives from Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt. During these talks, Hamas representatives claimed they are willing to become a political party and accept the roadmap proposed by the Peace Council. In response, Kushner clarified that the US administration demands the complete demilitarization of the Strip to prevent any future threat to Israel.
