First the disarmament of Hamas, then the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. Benjamin Netanyahu is not backing down on the condition that in recent weeks has blocked the implementation of the American plan for the future of the Palestinian enclave. The Israeli Prime Minister reiterated this in the long meeting in Jerusalem with Jared Kushner, son-in-law and envoy of US President Donald Trump, who arrived in Israel after the rare talks held over the weekend with the leaders of Hamas in Egypt.
According to an Israeli official quoted by AFP, Netanyahu and Kushner have reached an agreement on at least the first step: asking Hamas to hand over its weapons, which should be put out of use under the supervision of a US general. A reconstruction which, at the moment, has not however been officially confirmed by Washington.
The principle supported by Israel remains that of sequence: no complete withdrawal of the army before Hamas has been effectively disarmed and Gaza demilitarized. It is precisely the order in which to implement the different points of the plan that represents one of the main obstacles to negotiations. Hamas has said it is open to disarmament, but is asking for guarantees on a ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu instead wants the Palestinian movement to take concrete and verifiable steps first.
The meeting lasted over four hours
The Jerusalem summit was also attended by Nikolay Mladenov, high representative of the Board of Peace, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the American ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. The conversation, according to reconstructions by the Israeli press, lasted over four hours.
A Board of Peace source cited by Ynet explained that the final shared objective would be the “complete dismantling” of Hamas as the armed and powerful force in the Strip, followed by the complete demilitarization of Gaza and, only subsequently, by the Israeli withdrawal.
Netanyahu called the talks “thorough and constructive.” The decision also came from the summit to create two working groups: one dedicated to disarmament and demilitarization and the other to health emergencies, rehabilitation and access to clean water. On this last front, the aim is to initiate interventions on infrastructure to reduce the risk of epidemics and contamination. However, the actual reconstruction, in the Israeli position, should only come after disarmament.
According to Haaretz, the agreement reached at the summit would also allow Israel, at least for the moment, to continue to conduct targeted attacks in the Strip while the overall confrontation continues.
Trump to Netanyahu: “Israel should not attack Gaza”
Just as a compromise was being sought in Jerusalem, a message arrived from Washington that increased the pressure on Netanyahu. In an interview with Fox News, Donald Trump said that Israel “should not launch any attack on Gaza”, claiming that Hamas has agreed to lay down its arms.
A position that highlights the differences that still exist between Washington and the Israeli government. For Trump, the commitment made by Hamas can allow the plan to advance; Netanyahu instead demands that the delivery of weapons actually takes place and is verified before taking irreversible steps, starting with the withdrawal of troops.
The issue, therefore, remains the same: not so much the declared final objective – a Gaza without armed Hamas and the subsequent Israeli withdrawal – but who should make the first move. And it is on this sequence that the American attempt to restart an agreement that has so far remained stalled is now being played out.