"A Failure That Led to Isolation"
Kushner revealed his assessment during a video call from Malta, where he is working as part of White House efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The American envoy met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky one day after holding a three-hour conversation in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"It was an operational failure that led to isolation... We used that dynamic to push them toward a deal," Kushner said in the video call. His comments come against the backdrop of ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the Israeli government regarding implementation of the peace plan in the Gaza Strip.
Kushner's reference to the attempted assassination in Qatar comes as the White House is pressing Israel to advance Hamas's disarmament and the rehabilitation of infrastructure in the Strip. Last month, Kushner met with the prime minister for four hours as part of efforts to advance the peace plan.
During that meeting, an understanding was reached that no reconstruction would take place in the Gaza Strip without complete disarmament of Hamas. The first step in demilitarizing the Strip is for Hamas to hand over all weapons for destruction under the supervision of General Jeffries.
