Tel Aviv [Israel], August 17 (ANI): US Special Envoy and son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, on Monday pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a more than four-hour meeting to advance the Trump-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal and "not create obstacles" to the stalled peace plan, CNN reported, citing an Israeli source familiar with the discussions.
According to CNN, Netanyahu, however, maintained his stance that Israel would not withdraw its forces from Gaza until Hamas was completely disarmed.
The meeting came after Netanyahu rejected the Trump administration's 15-point Gaza ceasefire plan announced earlier this month.
According to CNN, citing the Israeli source, Netanyahu told Kushner that moving ahead with the proposal was "problematic" because of Israel's upcoming elections at the end of October.
The source said Netanyahu, who is seeking support from right-wing voters and has been trailing in several polls, has been reluctant to make concessions on Gaza ahead of the elections.
The source further said Netanyahu told the US side that Israel would not alter its policy regarding the ongoing targeted killings of Hamas commanders.
Instead, Netanyahu told Kushner and Nickolay Mladenov, director of the Board of Peace, that Hamas would need to take the first steps, according to CNN, citing the source.
Kushner and Mladenov had met representatives of Hamas in Egypt on Sunday.
The central disagreement remains over the sequencing of Hamas' disarmament and an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza.
Netanyahu has insisted that Hamas must completely surrender its weapons before Israel begins withdrawing its forces from the enclave.
Hamas, however, has maintained that any disarmament must take place alongside a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces, according to the report.
A senior Israeli official separately told CNN that Netanyahu told Kushner that Israel would not withdraw any of its troops from Gaza or permit reconstruction efforts to begin until Hamas had been fully disarmed.
According to the official, the two sides also agreed that an American general would oversee the process of decommissioning Hamas' weapons.
The official described the move as the first step towards demilitarising Gaza, as reported by CNN.
Hamas has rejected disarmament unless it is accompanied by an end to near-daily Israeli attacks in Gaza and the start of an Israeli withdrawal from areas currently under Israeli control.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair also participated in the meeting between Netanyahu and the US envoy.
According to an official readout from Netanyahu's office, the participants agreed to establish two working groups focusing on disarmament as well as sanitation, clean water and public health issues.
"The Prime Minister and Board of Peace had deep and constructive discussions. It was agreed to establish two working groups, one on disarmament and demilitarisation of Gaza, which both Israel and the Board of Peace are determined should be prompt and completed before any reconstruction happens in Gaza. A second working group will focus on sanitation, clean water and other public health issues for the people of Gaza and which also impact the people of Israel," the readout said.
The discussions come as Washington seeks progress on its Gaza peace proposal, while Israel and Hamas remain divided over the conditions and sequence for disarmament, Israeli withdrawal and the reconstruction of the enclave. (ANI)
Trump's son-in-law urged Netanyahu to "not create obstacles" to Gaza peace plan; Israeli PM says no withdrawal until Hamas disarms: Report
