Kushner to Visit Israel Amid Tensions Over Gaza Board of Peace Plan

The long-awaited visit of Jared Kushner, a senior advisor to US President Donald Trump, to Israel is set to take place next week, amidst growing tensions over the Gaza Board of Peace plan. The plan, which aims to bring a lasting peace to the Palestinian enclave, has been met with skepticism by Israel, particularly over a provision that would see Hamas gradually disarm in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza.

The visit, which was confirmed to Al Jazeera by a Board of Peace official, comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a Trump-backed 15-point plan for a lasting peace in Gaza. Netanyahu specifically opposed the provision that would see Hamas transfer its weapons to a Palestinian third party, with Israel concurrently withdrawing its troops from the enclave. The rejection has been met with surprise from some who had believed that Israel and Hamas were on the brink of reaching a significant breakthrough.

Despite Israel's rejection, Hamas has reaffirmed its commitment to the plan, with a spokesperson saying that the group remains 'confident' in its ability to implement the agreed-upon disarmament provisions. However, the Israeli government's rejection of the key provision has raised questions over the likelihood of the plan's success. An official with the Board of Peace said that Kushner will be accompanied by the board's director general, former Bulgarian government minister Nickolay Mladenov, and executive committee member, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The trio will 'hear concerns that have been raised and talk about next steps,' said the official, adding that both the Board of Peace and Israel 'agree on the end state, which is a demilitarized Hamas.' However, the lack of specificity around the implementation of the disarmament provision raises concerns over how the plan will be carried out in practice. In Cairo, Kushner, Mladenov, and Blair will meet Egyptian and other mediators to seek to solidify a roadmap for the implementation of the plan.

The 20-point ceasefire plan for Gaza signed last year called for an end to fighting and paved the way for Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups to decommission their weapons and for Israel to withdraw from the enclave. However, despite the agreement, near-daily Israeli violations have continued, with local authorities reporting that at least 1,260 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire went into effect. All told, 73,389 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the wake of the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Kushner's visit comes as settler violence in the occupied West Bank has surged, with rights groups maintaining that the violence is enabled by Israel's military forces. The violence has included a settler siege on the village of Qusra in the Nablus government, where residents say they have been cut off from water and electricity as part of an attempted land seizure.

The US has been involved in attempts to address the violence, with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemning the actions of settlers targeting the home of a dual US citizen in Qusra. Huckabee has remained a staunch supporter of Israel and a vocal supporter of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has documented 3,033 settler attacks in the West Bank between January 2025 and June 2026, averaging about six a day. Israeli forces and settlers have killed 76 Palestinians, including 18 children, in the occupied territory so far in 2026, according to the UN.

In his meeting with Egyptian and other mediators, Kushner is expected to seek to address the concerns raised by Israel over the Gaza Board of Peace plan. The visit comes as tensions between Israel and the US have increased, with some questioning the Trump administration's commitment to a lasting peace in the region.