Kushner on the meeting with senior Hamas officials: "We had a very cordial meeting"

Trey Yingst, Fox News correspondent in Israel, spoke with President Donald Trump's advisor Jared Kushner during his visit to Israel, where Kushner was asked about the main reason for his trip — the Peace Council and the Gaza Strip.

The correspondent asked: "You met with Hamas officials yesterday. Do you think they're genuine about peace?". Kushner replied that they said all the right things, but noted that it is obviously very difficult to trust a terrorist organization that committed such terrible atrocities.

"We had a very cordial meeting, and they said the right thing, so we will give them a chance to perform, but it will have to be based on actions and steps. And I hope that will be true," Kushner added.

Prior to the interview, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a lengthy meeting with Kushner and other senior officials of the Peace Council, which dealt with the future of the Gaza Strip and the disarmament of Hamas. The talks lasted about four hours, including a one-on-one conversation between Netanyahu and the advisor that lasted about an hour.

Among the understandings reached: the reconstruction of the Strip will not begin until Hamas is disarmed throughout its territory, and the weapons handed over will not only be rendered unusable but destroyed. At the same time, Israel will not change its policy of targeted killings, despite an American demand on the matter. The fact of the meeting and the participation of Kushner, Tony Blair, and Nickolay Mladenov was also reported by international media.