Kushner: Israeli elections making Netanyahu government ‘irrational’
The US envoy, who is also a member of the Gaza 'Board of Peace', was speaking during a visit to Kyiv
Jared Kushner, the US special envoy and son-in-law of President Donald Trump, has suggested that while America and Israel are in agreement on Gaza, the upcoming Israeli elections were making the country’s current government “a little irrational in certain regards”.
Speaking during a press conference in Kyiv as part of ongoing efforts to bring an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kushner, who is Jewish and was a key negotiator behind the creation of the Abraham Accords in 2020, was asked about the situation in the Middle East.
“I think we agree with the Israelis on the end state for Gaza,” he responded.
“They just have crazy elections, and that makes them a little irrational in certain regards.”
Israel is due to hold elections in late October, and Ministers in the current Netanyahu-led coalition government have been making statements designed to appeal to their base. Last week, Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed that Israel and Donald Trump were still in discussions with regards to encouraging Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to emigrate from the Strip, an idea publicly mooted in February 2025 by Trump. The following day, Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the far right “Jewish Power” party, published his plan for what he called the “voluntary migration” of Gazans, which he pledged to put into practice is the current government coalition were to win the upcoming election.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Gaza, stating that Israel would not withdraw from the sections of the Strip it holds while it seeks to disarm Hamas. The disagreement about the timings of Israeli withdrawal were seen as a key reason for Israel’s refusal to agree to a peace plan mooted by Trump’s Gaza ‘Board of Peace’, of which Kushner is also a member, last month.
Discussing the situation in Gaza, Kushner described the Board as having been in active negotiations with Hamas over disarmament, but that “we’re now starting to understand the scope of the militarisation of Gaza.
“It is beyond your comprehension, and so demilitarising it is not going to be easy.”