A meeting held between Donald Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday is said to have been "lengthy, in depth, and very productive," a Reuters report said citing a Board of Peace official.
The official added that the agreement was reached with Netanyahu on a path forward for the Gaza conflict.
Kushner held an hourslong meeting with Netanyahu, a separate report by The Associated Press (AP) said.
The meeting comes days after the premier rejected the 15-point, U.S.-backed road map to move the cease-fire deal forward in Gaza.
It also comes a day after Kushner met for two hours with the Hamas leader in Egypt, as the U.S. presses for Israel’s approval of the road map.
There is a lot at stake, including the lives of some 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, reconstruction of the war-demolished enclave and future control over it.
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.
But Israel, which under the road map must gradually withdraw from Gaza, says Hamas must fully disarm before any withdrawal.
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.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that he and the board had agreed to establish two working groups — one on the disarmament and demilitarization of Gaza and another focused on public health issues for Gaza.
Israel and the board agreed that the demilitarization “should be prompt and completed before any reconstruction,” the statement said.
