‘We will not allow Gaza to be rebuilt’ until Hamas disarms, Kushner says

United States envoy Jared Kushner has stressed that the administration of President Donald Trump will not allow reconstruction in the devastated Gaza Strip until Hamas gives up its weapons.

Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, but the meeting did not produce a breakthrough to implement a roadmap for Gaza that Hamas already agreed to.

“We have a plan to rebuild Gaza, but we will not allow Gaza to be rebuilt until the demilitarisation occurs,” Kushner told Fox News in an interview.

“Nobody wants to put more money into a place that’s gone on for so long if it’s just going to be taken over by terrorists or blown up again.”

Hamas had agreed to disarm as part of a US-backed process that would include Israeli withdrawal and an end to the deadly attacks on the Palestinian territory.

But Israel rejected the proposal earlier this month, saying that it would not make any concessions until Gaza is fully demilitarised.

In the interview with Fox News, Kushner – whose family has deep personal ties to Netanyahu – appeared to adopt the Israeli viewpoint in emphasising the full demilitarisation of Hamas before Israeli withdrawal.

“We’re also not going to restrict Israel’s right to defend itself if there are any imminent threats,” Kushner said. “And so we had to clarify what that means.”