JERUSALEM — Jared Kushner, senior adviser to President Trump, held a closed-door meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, arriving hours after the Israeli cabinet formally rejected a 15-point stabilization plan for Gaza. The proposal, advanced by what the administration has termed a “Board of Peace,” called for the phased disarmament of Hamas and a handover of civil administration to an international coalition, paired with a complete Israeli military withdrawal from the territory.

Diplomatic Maneuvering

The swift rejection by Israeli leadership injects immediate uncertainty into U.S. diplomatic efforts. The 15-point framework was designed to sideline entrenched political factions and shift the financial burden of Gaza’s reconstruction away from the American taxpayer. By requiring international forces to assume governance responsibilities, the plan aimed to prevent open-ended U.S. entanglement while ending a conflict that has imposed secondary costs on domestic supply chains and energy markets.

The core American interest is regional stability without a permanent garrison. A deal that forces an unconditional IDF withdrawal while leaving Hamas’s military wing intact is a non-starter for Israel but meets the base requirement for protecting U.S. sovereignty from another foreign quagmire.

Lobbying and National Interest

Netanyahu’s hardline position continues to test the limits of the bilateral relationship. The administration’s push for a demilitarized governance structure in Gaza runs directly counter to a domestic Israeli political calculus heavily influenced by settler movements and defense contractors. For the American worker, the failure to offload security costs to an international body means the continued diversion of Congressional appropriations toward a foreign military apparatus that does not serve U.S. industrial or border security priorities.

Kushner’s presence signals a direct White House attempt to bypass the usual foreign policy establishment channels, though the outcome remains frozen. The meeting produced no joint statement, and officials declined to confirm whether the Board of Peace framework remains active or if it has been shelved permanently following Netanyahu’s rejection.