Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, a close aide of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, held talks with President-elect Donald Trump and Jared Kushner at Mar-a-Lago this week, The Washington Post reported on Monday.
The report, which cited unnamed Israeli officials, said Dermer’s message was that Israel was looking to give Trump an early foreign policy win by reaching a ceasefire by January. However, Israel’s conditions for a ceasefire include demands that are a non-starter for Hezbollah and the Lebanese government.
“There is an understanding that Israel would gift something to Trump … that in January, there will be an understanding about Lebanon,” an Israeli official told the Post. Another Israeli official said that there were also plans in place to ramp up Israeli ground operations in Lebanon if a deal isn’t reached.
The inclusion of Kushner in the talks with Dermer and Trump signals he may have a role in the incoming administration, even though reports have said he ruled out the idea. The Post report said that Kushner could play an advisory role if there are negotiations to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
When Israel escalated its war in Lebanon in September, Kushner expressed strong support for the offensive, calling for Israel to “finish the job.”
“September 27th is the most important day in the Middle East since the Abraham Accords breakthrough,” Kushner wrote on X, referring to the day Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. “Anyone who has been calling for a ceasefire in the North is wrong. There is no going back for Israel. They cannot afford now to not finish the job and completely dismantle the arsenal that has been aimed at them. They will never get another chance.”
Trump also expressed support for the Israeli offensive in an October phone call with Netanyahu. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who was on the call, said Trump “expressed his awe for their military operations and what they have done. He told them, do what you have to do to defend yourself.”
A Lebanon ceasefire deal that’s been floated by the US would involve Hezbollah moving north of the Litani River and the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers taking their place in southern Lebanon. But Israel wants its military to have freedom of action in southern Lebanon so it could enforce the deal, which is a non-starter for Hezbollah and the Lebanese government.
“Is there any sane person who believes that we will agree to a settlement or a solution that serves Israel’s interests at the expense of Lebanon’s interests and sovereignty?” Nabih Berri, the speaker of Lebanon’s parliament, said this week.
A person close to Hezbollah told the Post that Israel must be prohibited “from conducting operations within Lebanese territory” as part of any ceasefire deal.
While Israel has been pounding Lebanon with airstrikes, killing thousands, including many civilians, Hezbollah fighters have been able to put up a fight against the invading Israeli troops in the south. Since September 30, at least 47 Israeli soldiers have been killed fighting Hezbollah on the ground.
