You turn to us for voices you won't hear anywhere else.

Sign up for Democracy Now!'s Daily Digest to get our latest headlines and stories delivered to your inbox every day.

Netanyahu Throws “Poison Pill” into Gaza Deal as Kushner Meets with Hamas & Israel: Mouin Rabbani

StoryAugust 18, 2026
Watch Full Show
Listen
Media Options
Listen

President Trump’s son-in-law and envoy Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday after Israel rejected a 15-point plan for Gaza promoted by President Trump’s “Board of Peace.” The proposal would have seen Hamas gradually disarm and turn over governance of Gaza to an international force in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from the besieged territory.

Israel, supported by Kushner, is pushing for a deal whereby it “would not be obliged to conduct any of its obligations unless and until Hamas was fully disarmed,” says Middle East analyst Mouin Rabbani. “This is essentially Israel throwing a poison pill into an agreement by including conditions that can never be met.”

Rabbani argues that Jared Kushner is not a suitable negotiator because there is a “very intimate ideological, political connection between the Kushners and Israel.”

Related Story

StoryOct 14, 2025Will Gaza Ceasefire Last? Trump’s Plan “Short on Details” Beyond Release of Captives

Please check back later for full transcript.

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top