Kushner Pressures Israel to Accept the Re-designed Roadmap Plan

Peloni

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with Jared Kushner in the West Wing Lobby of the White House, Monday, September 29, 2025.  Photo by The White House – Flickr, Public Domain, Link

An important article by World Israel News describes Jared Kushner as having emerged as the key figure pressing Israel to accommodate the new US-backed Gaza roadmap, which should be notably recalled to have retooled and reordered Trump’s original 20-Point Plan so as to accomodate Hamas in coordination with Qatar, Turkey and Egypt.  The WIN article also details that President Donald Trump has specifically refrained from pressuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the growing dispute with his son-in-law, but has publicly given his support for the Roadmap.

Israeli officials indicate that the disagreement between Kushner and Netanyahu relates to Netanyahu’s objections to linking a gradual disarmament of Hamas to simultaneously phased IDF withdrawals.  Netanyahu maintains that, as indicated in Trump’s 20-Point Plan, Hamas must be completely stripped of its weapons before any IDF withdrawal takes place.

Kushner has personally engaged with both Netanyahu and Palestinian intermediaries in an effort to push the initiative forward. Despite this, in a recent conversation, Netanyahu told Kushner he did not believe Hamas would ultimately disarm but was willing to give the US-backed plan a chance. Netanyahu reportedly agreed to restrict Israeli strikes to immediate threats and refrain from pushing IDF forces west of the Yellow Line while the process is tested. Following meetings with Board of Peace envoy Nikolay Mladenov, Israel substantially scaled back attacks on Hamas, restricting the IDF to responding to immediate threats rather than carrying out the daily targeted killings that had previously occurred. Former Palestinian Authority security chief Mohammad Dahlan, who has been proposed my some for a future role in Gaza’s leadership, stated that Kushner confirmed Israel agreed to stop attacks after Hamas and other Palestinian factions accepted the 15-point document.

The US administration remains unconcerned by Netanyahu’s public rejection of the roadmap, viewing it partly as a product of Israel’s approaching October election despite the reports of nearly hourly violations being committed by Hamas.   Israel is providing the US with daily dossiers of alleged Hamas violations, including weapons transfers and explosive devices, to argue the plan cannot be safely implemented as it stands written.  Nonetheless, as Washington’s primary concern remains fixated on Israel’s continued compliance in restraining its operations in Gaza, Washington is simultaneously ignoring the real time effect which this restraint is having with regards to Hamas reacting to that restraint.

Beyond this, the 15-point roadmap provides for a phased process where weapons are decommissioned as Israeli forces progressively withdraw from Gaza, which leaves Hamas present in the area with arms and therefore influence over the situation emerging, which should be free of ALL influence from Hamas.

Netanyahu’s office has adopted a harder tone privately, dismissing US expectations that Israel should proceed with the process as being “dreams,” even as negotiations regarding these matters are still ongoing.

The Board of Peace signaled that Netanyahu’s rejection has not stopped the initiative, stating the plan is very much still operative and advancing, with implementation proceeding only after commitments are verified. Meanwhile, President Trump has avoided turning disagreements into a personal rupture, stating his relationship with Netanyahu remains “very good.”