Kushner’s direct Hamas talks trigger alarm in Palestinian Authority

Palestinian Authority officials are increasingly alarmed after US envoy Jared Kushner met directly with senior Hamas leaders in Cairo, warning that Washington is sidelining Mahmoud Abbas while giving the terrorist group new political relevance.

The irony is that the talks focused on Hamas’s disarmament and removal from power — both long-standing PA demands. But Ramallah’s concern is who has a seat at the table: Kushner is talking to Hamas in Cairo and Israel in Jerusalem, while bypassing Abbas in Ramallah.

“It harms the PA’s representational status and gives Hamas new cards to play,” one Palestinian official warned, raising fears that direct US-Hamas diplomacy could further erode the PA’s already weakened standing.