Kushner urges Netanyahu to test Hamas disarmament in Gaza
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Add Axios on Google President Donald Trump's then-senior adviser Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2019. (Photo by ISRAELI PRIME MINISTRY / HANDOUT/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
President Trump adviser Jared Kushner told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that the U.S. wants Israel to take "small steps" in Gaza to test whether Hamas' commitment to start disarming is genuine, a U.S. official said.
Why it matters: The four-hour meeting took place amid deep skepticism from Netanyahu about the U.S. plan for Gaza — and ahead of an October election that makes the Israeli leader reluctant to offer significant concessions on the politically sensitive issue.
Driving the news: Kushner arrived in Israel after meetings in Egypt Sunday with Hamas leaders and with the Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators.
The big picture: A U.S. official and another source with knowledge of the meeting said the political atmosphere in Israel ahead of the October election has created significant suspicion on the Israeli side — particularly as the Israeli opposition has attacked Netanyahu for making concessions in Gaza.
Zoom in: Kushner said the demilitarization process would work like this: First, Hamas would hand over its weapons to the Palestinian technocratic government, which would give them to an International Stabilization Force. That force would destroy the weapons, the U.S. official said.
Friction point: While Kushner and Netanyahu were meeting, Trump told Fox News that he wants Israel to stop its airstrikes in Gaza.
Zoom out: The U.S. official said Netanyahu committed to taking steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, especially when it comes to water and sanitation.
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