Kushner's Meetings with Hamas and Netanyahu
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner met with Hamas political leader Khalil al-Hayya in the Egyptian coastal city of El-Alamein on Sunday, according to The Times of Israel. He then met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem the following day. The talks centered on the future of the Gaza ceasefire, as reported by Middle East Monitor. The Times of Israel describes the US conducting direct talks with Hamas as "normalization," a shift from previous US policy that avoided direct engagement with the group, which it calls a "terror group."The Times of Israel also reports that the Board of Peace, an entity not further described in the reporting, is floating a potential new way forward for the ceasefire, amid Israeli pushback and as the IDF continues strikes in Gaza.
Mixed Messages on Conflict Goals
In a separate development, the 60-day memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran has expired, according to The Times of Israel. In a phone interview with Fox News, President Trump said he had "no time schedule" for the conflict, the outlet reported. However, The Times of Israel notes there is mixed messaging between Trump and Vice President JD Vance over the war’s goals, though details of that divergence are not elaborated.Settler Violence in Qusra
Turning to the West Bank, the village of Qusra near Nablus has drawn international attention for over a week, according to The Times of Israel. Settlers surrounded several new houses built on the village's outskirts, trapping residents inside in an apparent effort to force them out. The IDF's actions—and inactions—have generated condemnation globally, the outlet reported.Middle East Monitor adds that US Ambassador Mike Huckabee described Israeli settlers as "terrorists" after American citizens were besieged by Israeli settlers. The same outlet also covers settler violence more broadly in the occupied West Bank.
Historical Narratives and Regional Shifts
Middle East Monitor revisits what it calls the "long-debunked" claim that Palestine was sparsely populated before early Jewish settlement, asking why this version of history continues to resurface. The outlet also reports changes to Saudi school textbooks, including the removal of the phrase "Muslims will never give up Jerusalem."The episode also discusses a false quotation attributed to an Iranian commander that spread from social media into Israeli media, then into political debate in Washington, according to Middle East Monitor. The outlet raises the question of what this reveals about the use of "manufactured intelligence" to build a case against Iran.