Israel and the United States are both developing alternative plans for Gaza's future if President Donald Trump's 20-point framework collapses. The president's son-in-law and close adviser, Jared Kushner, recently said he is developing Plan B to have a backup strategy if the current approach fails.
Kushner told an Israeli official about his work against the backdrop of significant challenges in the existing framework around Hamas disarmament and which nation would risk deploying its troops in direct military combat with Hamas terrorists. No country has yet indicated willingness to take on this role.
Egypt has trained a 5,000-strong Gazan force with American and Israeli approval to fight Hamas, though their willingness to engage in combat remains uncertain. Furthermore, as we reported Tuesday, Kushner explained that western Gaza will not undergo rehabilitation until the Strip is demilitarized and Hamas surrenders its weapons. Kushner recognizes achieving these objectives presents formidable challenges, which explains his parallel work on alternatives.
Concurrently, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told the recent Diplomatic-Security Cabinet meeting that the military is developing a contingency plan if American efforts fail. Zamir said the alternative approach will be briefed to ministers shortly.
