Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Talks between US negotiator Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday ended without clarity on whether Israel would accept the latest US proposal for a Gaza ceasefire. Officials indicated moderate optimism after the marathon meeting, but there was no public commitment from Israel on the plan.
The uncertainty remains centred on two major issues: Israel’s demand that Hamas be disarmed before any reconstruction of Gaza begins, and the absence of any public signal that Israel would withdraw troops from the roughly 60 per cent of the territory it currently controls. Hamas has already agreed to the proposal, but had pressed negotiators to ensure an Israeli withdrawal before the meeting.
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The talks came days after Netanyahu rejected the 15-point US-backed road map to move the ceasefire deal forward, saying there would be no withdrawal without disarmament. A day earlier, Kushner met Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt for two hours. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Board of Peace Director Nickolay Mladenov were also present at the meeting with Netanyahu, according to a source familiar with the plans and a diplomatic source, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because it was a closed-door meeting.
In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said the talks were “deep and constructive”. It said Israel and the board had agreed to set up two working groups, one on the disarmament and demilitarisation of Gaza and another on public health issues in the territory. The statement said the two sides agreed that demilitarisation “should be prompt and completed before any reconstruction”.
A Board of Peace official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the demilitarisation must include “every weapon, light and heavy, and every tunnel”. The official added, “Backed by President Donald Trump, the parties share clear goals: a fully demilitarised and deradicalised Gaza that poses no threat to Israel, and where Gazans can pursue prosperity and dignity peacefully.” Another Board of Peace official described the meeting as “very productive” and said it had produced agreement on “a path forward”. “The Israelis are going to give this a chance. Now it’s up to Hamas to show if it truly intends to comply,” the official said. Asked whether Israel had committed to the US plan, a spokesperson for Mladenov said it was a “work in progress”.
Kushner’s meeting with al-Hayya in Cairo on Sunday was attended by officials from mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, according to a regional official and a Hamas official, who both spoke on condition of anonymity. The Hamas official said the group demanded that Israel stop its attacks on Gaza and withdraw to the so-called yellow line before implementation began. The yellow line was never precisely defined. Israeli forces have moved beyond it and now control about 60 per cent of Gaza. In May, Netanyahu said the next step was to move to 70 per cent control, with Israel “tightening the grip” on Hamas “from every direction”.
Regional pressure on Israel also increased after several countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, issued a statement on Sunday condemning Israel’s rejection of the road map. The statement said Israel “now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza”. Other signatories included Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia and the ceasefire mediators. The foreign ministers called on the Board of Peace and the US to take “immediate and concrete measures” to prevent any side from blocking implementation of the plan.
In Gaza, the talks have drawn both hope and doubt. Some residents said they wanted the road map to end the war that began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, while others remained sceptical. Mohammad Abu al-Qombuz, who lives in a tent camp in Gaza City, said, “A conference here and there, it is all lies. We need a definitive solution that would work for everybody.”
Under the road map, Hamas would hand over weapons to a Palestinian technocratic committee that is meant to oversee daily operations in Gaza, though the committee has not yet entered the territory. Hamas has linked the surrender of its heaviest weapons to the creation of a Palestinian state, while the road map refers to a “credible pathway toward achieving Palestinian self-determination and statehood”, something Israel’s current government rejects. Until the road map is agreed, reconstruction, the deployment of international forces and other parts of the ceasefire arrangement remain on hold, with the future of the plan still uncertain ahead of Israel’s October 27 election and the anniversary of the 2023 attack.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
