US envoy Kushner meets Hamas’ leader in push for a Gaza road map before heading to see Netanyahu
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- Jared Kushner met Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday in a rare diplomatic session attended by envoys from mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, ahead of a Monday meeting with Netanyahu alongside former British PM Tony Blair and Board of Peace director Nickolay Mladenov.
- Netanyahu last week publicly rejected the 15-point U.S.-backed road map in a rare show of defiance against the Trump administration, despite Israel being America's closest ally.
- Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia and the ceasefire mediators issued a joint statement declaring that 'Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza,' and called on the Board of Peace to take 'immediate and concrete measures.'
- Hamas demanded Israel halt attacks and withdraw to the undefined 'yellow line' before implementation begins; Israeli forces now control about 60% of Gaza, and Netanyahu said in May the next step was 70% control to 'tighten the grip' on Hamas.
- Under the road map, a 14-day negotiation period requires all parties' approval to begin; Hamas has linked surrender of its heaviest weapons to creation of a Palestinian state, something Israel's current government rejects.
- Netanyahu faces an Oct. 27 election with a coalition that includes hardline Gaza ministers, and his Likud party accused Arab states of wanting to 'topple' him so centrist challenger Gadi Eisenkot and center-left leader Yair Golan 'will give them everything they want.'
Why it matters: With Netanyahu facing an Oct. 27 election and a coalition anchored by hardline Gaza ministers, Monday's meeting must clear not just Hamas's preconditions but Netanyahu's domestic politics. The joint Saudi-UAE-Jordan-Pakistan-Indonesia statement marks rare public multilateral pressure on Israel, but the road map's 14-day clock cannot start until all parties approve — leaving roughly 2 million Gazans dependent on a negotiation Netanyahu's government has already rejected once.
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