United States: Kushner may head to Israel for talks on Gaza plan

A U.S. official said on Thursday that the United States is considering sending presidential envoy Jared Kushner to Israel, as President Donald Trump pushes forward with a peace plan for the Gaza Strip.

Axios had previously reported that Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and his mediator on the Middle East and Russia, would travel to Israel and Egypt the following week to hold talks on the situation in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced over the weekend his rejection of Trump’s latest plan to end the war in the strip.

The official, who requested anonymity in response to a question from Agence France-Presse regarding the Axios report on Kushner, said, “Such a visit is being discussed. The United States and Israel are aligned on the desired outcome in Gaza.”

After more than a week of Israeli criticism of the plan, Netanyahu declared his explicit opposition to it, as he faces pressure from his right-wing base ahead of elections scheduled for October.

Netanyahu affirmed that the Israeli military would not carry out any withdrawal, even after the Trump peace team assured him that Israel would only withdraw after Hamas is completely disarmed.

Netanyahu, the longest-serving Israeli prime minister, is facing pressure from his far-right coalition allies to hold a new cabinet vote and halt implementation of the Gaza plan.

The Gaza plan is the latest phase of a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States and announced in October, which led to a reduction in Israeli operations in the strip, though not a complete end to them.