Kushner: Israel must help Palestinians

How The Times of Israel reports, US adviser Jared Kushner is calling for concrete steps to improve Palestinian living conditions after the Gaza war – Netanyahu’s apology to Qatar was the key to the ceasefire, according to US mediators.

Israel must actively contribute to improving the living conditions of the Palestinians after the end of the war, said Jared Kushner, son-in-law and advisor to US President Donald Trump, in an interview with CBS 60 Minutes.

“If Israel wants to integrate itself into the Middle East, it must help the Palestinians to live better,” said Kushner. The goal is a “common security and economic order in which both sides can exist side by side”.

Apology to Qatar as a turning point

Kushner and US special envoy Steve Witkoff described Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s apology to Qatar’s head of government after an Israeli airstrike in Doha as a “pivotal moment”.

“Without this apology, we would not have made any progress,” said Witkoff. Trump had urged Netanyahu to do so – with the words: “People apologize.” Shortly afterwards, the Gaza plan was published and accepted by Israel and the Arab states.

Direct contact with Hamas

Witkoff confirmed that he and Kushner had personally met with Hamas representatives in Egypt. Trump had allowed this “if it leads to an agreement”. Kushner reacted calmly to the accusation of possible conflicts of interest due to business with Gulf states: “What others call conflicts of interest, we call experience and trust. Without these relationships, there would have been no hostage release.”