Kushner and Greenblatt to host session on Gaza crisis

“Solving the situation in Gaza is vital for humanitarian reasons."

By MICHAEL WILNER
A Palestinian boy rides a bicycle near a militant target that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip (photo credit: MOHAMMED SALEM/REUTERS)
A Palestinian boy rides a bicycle near a militant target that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip
(photo credit: MOHAMMED SALEM/REUTERS)
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration will host a “brainstorming session” at the White House on Tuesday to discuss the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
According to Jason Greenblatt, the US special representative for international negotiations, the administration “believes that deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza require immediate attention.”
He and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-inlaw and senior adviser spearheading the administration’s Israel policy, will be in attendance along with National Security Council staff and will “present specific proposals for consideration to help the people of Gaza,” a White House official said.
“Solving the situation in Gaza is vital for humanitarian reasons, important for the security of Egypt and Israel and is a necessary step toward reaching a comprehensive peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians, including Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank,” Greenblatt said. “The challenge will be determining which ideas can be realistically implemented in light of the fact that the Palestinians of Gaza continue to suffer under the authoritarian rule of Hamas.”
Greenblatt said he was pleased with the list of attendees for the brainstorming session, which will be released on Tuesday.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which is responsible for providing international humanitarian aid to Gaza, has not received an invitation, according to agency officials.