Kushner: US Won't Allow Gaza Rebuilding Until Hamas Disarms
Theo Al Jazeera
US envoy Jared Kushner said Washington will not allow Gaza reconstruction until Hamas fully disarms, affirming that the US won't restrict Israel's right to self-defense. He made the remarks amid ongoing Israeli attacks and after a rare meeting with Hamas officials.
US envoy Jared Kushner stressed that the administration of President Donald Trump will not allow the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip until the Hamas movement abandons its weapons. The statement came amid ongoing Israeli attacks on the Palestinian territory.
Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, but the meeting did not yield a breakthrough in implementing the peace roadmap for Gaza that Hamas had previously agreed to.
“We have a plan to rebuild Gaza, but we will not allow the rebuilding until demilitarization takes place,” Kushner said in an interview with Fox News. “Nobody wants to pump more money into a place that has seen so much turmoil if it's going to fall back into the hands of terrorists or be destroyed again.”
Hamas had previously agreed to disarm as part of a US-backed process that included Israel withdrawing troops and ending attacks on the Palestinian territory. However, Israel rejected the proposal earlier this month, saying it would not make concessions until Gaza is fully demilitarized.
In the interview, Kushner, who has close family ties to Netanyahu, sided with Israel's position, emphasizing the demand for Hamas to fully disarm before Israel withdraws.
“We will also not restrict Israel's right to self-defense if there is any immediate threat,” Kushner said. “So we need to clarify what that means.”
Israel has carried out near-daily strikes on Gaza, killing at least 1,265 people since the ceasefire took effect last year. Overall, Israel's war in Gaza has killed 73,399 Palestinians since October 2023.
Earlier the same day, President Trump called for an end to Israeli attacks, saying “Israel should not be striking Gaza” and that Hamas had agreed to lay down arms.
Over the past three years, the US has provided about $25 billion in military aid to Israel and defended Netanyahu's government at international forums, including imposing sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigating atrocities in Gaza.
Kushner stressed that the Gaza deal benefits Israel. “For Israel, we think this is a win-win situation, because if Hamas actually hands over its weapons and tunnels within the next 60 to 90 days, that would clearly be removing a major security threat to Israel,” he said. “If they don't follow through, everyone will see they're not really interested in peace, and then Israel will get more support from the US and others to finish the job properly.”
Kushner held a rare meeting with Hamas officials on Sunday as the US pushes for an end to the conflict. The US envoy said the talks were “very friendly,” but Washington will judge Hamas by its actions. “They said the right things, but obviously, it's very hard to trust a terrorist organization that has committed terrible atrocities,” Kushner said.
