And in a wide-ranging interview with a Palestinian newspaper at the end of the trip, Kushner promised the plan would soon be ready, while heavily criticizing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and hinting at a potential truce between Hamas and Israel. In an interview published in the Arabic language Al-Quds newspaper, Jared Kushner appealed directly to Palestinians and criticized Abbas, who has shunned the Trump team over its alleged pro-Israel bias, particularly on the fate of contested Jerusalem. Jared Kushner, Trump’s senior advisor and son-in-law, and Jason Greenblatt, his Middle East peace envoy, visited the Middle East last week to test ideas for the plan and explore ways to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The team met with leaders of Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to discuss the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and the administration's proposals for a peace deal. The Palestinians refused to meet with Kushner, and leaders have criticized the Trump negotiating team in recent days. Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Kushner and Greenblatt on Saturday of trying to topple the Abbas-led West Bank autonomy government and dismantle the U.N. aid agency for Palestinian refugees. On Sunday, Erekat doubled down on his criticism, telling Israel's Channel 10 that the American negotiators are "not neutral" and predicting their peace plan would fail. Any peace plan would face major obstacles, including the increasingly dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, internal Palestinian divisions, and recent cross-border violence between Gaza's Hamas rulers and Israel. It also places security and other restricts on the entry of goods to Gaza though the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing.Israeli officials have drawn up plans for alternative passage of Gaza goods by sea, which would be in line with both Gaza’s needs and Israel’s security interests.Liberman has conditioned the idea of a Gaza bound Cyprus landing for goods on an agreement that would ensure that Hamas returns the remains of two Israeli soldiers and releases the three Israeli civilians held captive in Gaza.Any Cyprus idea would involve an Israeli monitoring system to ensure that weapons were not smuggled into Gaza.The story of a possible Cyprus port for Gaza’s goods was released amid intense efforts to alleviate humanitarian suffering in the Strip, whose two million Palestinian residents live on just four hours of electricity a day.The Trump Administration is working on a Gaza plan and its envoys Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt were in the region this last week and over the weekend to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Separately, UN Special Envoy to the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov met with Netanyahu on Tuesday to push for an immediate humanitarian plan for Gaza.The issue of a Gaza port or the Cyprus plan was not raised as Mladenov is looking for a solution that is much more immediate.The UN envoy has held an intense series of regional and international meetings in the last months.He met with Netanyahu as part of his ongoing efforts to support unity between the West Bank and Gaza, avoid another Hamas-Israel war, and to alleviate the humanitarian suffering in Gaza.To that end, he has sought international funding and agreements from Israel and the PA to help facilitate needed projects by allowing needed material to enter Gaza.Mladenov wants enhanced UN capacity and presence in Gaza to facilitate such projects.He is fully committed to supporting the restoration of the Strip to the full jurisdiction of the PA.Part of his list of priority projects include the upgrading and rebuilding the electricity grid and water infrastructure, including the creation of another water reservoir.In addition, he wants to see job creation, cash programs and monetary credit for existing businesses.At president, Israel supplies 125 kW of Gaza’s electricity, according to the spokesperson for the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.“In January 2018, the PA renewed their payments for the electricity provided to the Gaza Strip by Israel. It remains unclear how the Trump administration would proceed with a peace plan without Palestinian cooperation. Kushner said the plan is "almost done," but offered scant details aside from the promise of economic prosperity. He made no mention of a Palestinian state arising alongside Israel, though he acknowledged that Arab partners support that goal. In that case, it would include territory for a future Palestinian state in most of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with territorial land swaps to keep the majority of the Jewish settler population in Israel. It is the Jordanians and Egyptians who have been much more engaged on the Palestinian issue for the past 25 years, and have much more leverage on Abbas because of their control of borders that abut both Gaza and the West Bank. Abbas now governs only small autonomous zones in the West Bank. Kushner cast doubt on Abbas' ability to make a deal, alleging that the Palestinian leadership is "scared we will release our peace plan and the Palestinian people will actually like it" because it would offer them a better life. "The global community is getting frustrated with Palestinian leadership and not seeing many actions that are constructive toward achieving peace," Kushner said. "There are a lot of sharp statements and condemnations, but no ideas or efforts with prospects of success." The US duo have not met with Palestinian officials, who froze all contact with US officials following the Trump administration's December recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The theory is that the Arab states have moved on from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and are more interested in fighting Iran. Israel captured the city's eastern half, home to holy sites for Jews, Christians, and Muslims, in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it. The annexation is not internationally recognized. The Palestinians have been infuriated by Trump's policies and see east Jerusalem as their future capital, insisting the status of the disputed city is an issue to be negotiated between them and the Israelis. Kushner - who has also visit Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia on the trip - told Al Quds they were "almost done" preparing the plan, which could be presented without Palestinian consent

"If President Abbas is willing to come back to the table, we are ready to engage; if he is not, we will likely air the plan publicly," he said. Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh responded to Kushner's interview by restating that American efforts will yield no result if they bypass the Palestinian leadership, and if they are not aimed at an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital. Later in the day Israel's military said its aircraft carried out several strikes in Gaza in response to Palestinians launching "arson and explosive balloons." Gaza's Health Ministry said three people were wounded. Local media and witnesses in Gaza said the injured were members of Hamas forces. For weeks, Israel has been struggling to combat large fires caused by kites and balloons rigged with incendiary devices launched by Palestinians in Gaza that have destroyed forests, burned crops and killed wildlife and livestock. The military said that Hamas is now orchestrating the flying fire bomb attacks and "will bear the consequences for its actions."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discusses the conflict with Gaza with the United Nations Special Coordinator to the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, who has been preparing humanitarian projects for Gaza.