Kushner, Netanyahu Discuss Gaza        08/17 06:28

   Mideast negotiator and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner was meeting Monday 
with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the premier rejected the 
15-point, U.S.-backed road map to move the truce deal forward in Gaza.

   JERUSALEM (AP) -- Mideast negotiator and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner was 
meeting Monday with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the 
premier rejected the 15-point, U.S.-backed road map to move the truce deal 
forward in Gaza.

   In the latest round of meetings, the U.S. is angling for Israel's approval 
of the road map. There is a lot at stake, including the lives of some 2 million 
Palestinians in Gaza, the reconstruction of the demolished enclave and future 
control over the territory.

   Hamas says it has agreed to the road map, which includes disarmament, and 
the group is urging mediators and the U.S.-created Board of Peace to "compel" 
Israel to sign on as well. But Israel, which under the road map must withdraw 
from Gaza, says Hamas must fully disarm before any Israeli withdrawal will 
occur.

   Israeli troops occupy about 60% of the strip and Netanyahu has previously 
threatened to advance.

   Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Board of Peace Director 
Nickolay Mladenov were also in the meeting with Netanyahu, according to a 
source familiar with the plans and a diplomatic source. Both spoke on condition 
of anonymity to discuss a closed-door meeting.

   Meeting follows Kushner conversation with Hamas

   The meeting comes after Kushner spent over two hours meeting Sunday with 
Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on disarmament, according to a regional 
official and a Hamas official, who both spoke on condition of anonymity because 
they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

   Officials from mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkey also were there.

   The Hamas official also said the Hamas leader demanded Israel halt its 
attacks on Gaza and withdraw to the so-called "yellow line" dividing the 
territory before beginning implementation.

   The yellow line was never precisely defined. Israeli forces have moved 
beyond it and now control about 60% of Gaza. In May, Netanyahu said the next 
step was to move to 70% control, with Israel "tightening the grip" on Hamas 
"from every direction."

   Regional neighbors increase pressure on Israel

   Several regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates 
issued a statement Sunday condemning Israel's rejection of the road map, 
saying, "Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring 
peace in Gaza." Other signers included Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia and the 
ceasefire mediators.

   The foreign ministers' statement called on the Board of Peace and the U.S. 
to take "immediate and concrete measures" to keep any party from obstructing 
the plan's implementation.

   Israel had no immediate response.

   The White House referred questions about Kushner's meetings to the Board of 
Peace, which did not immediately comment. The Tony Blair Institute also did not 
comment.

   Under the road map, Hamas would hand over weapons to the Palestinian 
technocratic committee meant to oversee daily operations in the territory. The 
committee has not yet entered Gaza.

   But Hamas has linked the surrender of its heaviest weapons to the creation 
of a Palestinian state and the road map entails the creation of a "credible 
pathway toward achieving Palestinian self-determination and statehood," 
something Israel's current government rejects.

   Until the road map is agreed to, other elements of the ceasefire are on 
hold, including reconstruction and the deployment of international forces to 
separate Israeli forces from committee-controlled areas.

   Netanyahu faces a challenging election on Oct. 27 as he tries to hold onto 
power with a coalition that includes ministers taking a harsh line on Gaza and 
it's not clear whether he will take decisive steps on the ceasefire before then.

   Also coming up is the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on 
southern Israel that sparked the war.