Jared Kushner, the U.S. envoy and son-in-law of former President Trump, is scheduled to visit Israel next week to discuss the situation in Gaza, according to five sources familiar with the plans. This will be Kushner's first trip to Israel since January, coinciding with efforts by the White House and Trump's Board of Peace to advance the next phase of the Gaza plan, which includes disarming Hamas and a potential Israeli withdrawal.
The Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Netanyahu, has expressed skepticism regarding the U.S. Gaza plan, particularly with elections approaching in October. A U.S. official stated, "We see eye-to-eye on the strategic goal, but Israel has expressed some doubts about the plan and we want to talk to them in order to make sure we are coordinated," while noting that the exact dates of the trip may change.
Recently, Trump announced that his Board of Peace had reached an agreement with Hamas to disarm and transfer control of Gaza to a new Palestinian technocratic government. However, Netanyahu publicly rejected the disarmament plan under pressure from coalition partners and political opponents, despite having previously promised Kushner to give the plan a chance.
A senior U.S. official indicated that Netanyahu's rejection was viewed as politically motivated rather than a definitive policy stance, stating, "We understand Bibi's political needs. We have no problem with it as long as he continues to do what we ask — especially regarding restraining attacks in Gaza." Following this, Israel has reportedly conducted fewer strikes on Gaza, with the Israeli military retreating to the Yellow Line as agreed upon.
Kushner is expected to travel with Nickolay Mladenov, the Gaza Board of Peace high representative, and meet with Netanyahu and other senior officials. There are also plans for Kushner to engage with other Middle Eastern leaders regarding the Gaza issue. The White House aims to prevent the Israeli elections from delaying the implementation of the Gaza plan, while Netanyahu seeks to avoid political concessions that could jeopardize his position ahead of the elections.