In recent weeks, U.S. officials and the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, have held talks about the future of Gaza. If the United States wants the management of Gaza to pass to the Palestinian Authority, Israel does not agree.
Under US officials’ proposals, the Palestinian Authority would govern both the West Bank and Gaza after the war between Israel and Hamas ends. US officials have also considered sending international peacekeepers to Gaza after hostilities end, the Financial Times reports.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not agree with the proposals. According to him, only the Israel Defense Forces can guarantee Israel’s security. Furthermore, he is not in favor of giving the Palestinian Authority any role in post-war Gaza.
The municipality’s prime minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, said in an interview with Bloomberg that his preferred solution would be for the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem to be under the control of the Palestinian Authority, which would move towards the formation of an independent Palestinian state . He further added that since in his opinion Israel cannot destroy Hamas once and for all, it would be reasonable to involve Hamas in the management of the Palestinian territories as a junior partner of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
The PLO’s largest faction, Fatah, governs the West Bank through the Palestinian Authority. Hamas expelled Fatah and Palestinian Authority officials from Gaza in 2007.
“Self [Hamas] is willing to reach an agreement and agrees with the PLO’s political platform, then there would be room for negotiations. Palestinians should not be divided,” Shtayyeh said.
He added that Gaza needs a lot of aid for humanitarian needs and for reconstruction after the end of the war.
The Israeli government considers the destruction of Hamas one of the objectives of the ground operation in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces launched an operation in Gaza following the bloody Hamas terror attack on October 7, in which more than 1,200 people were killed and 240 taken hostage. The vast majority of victims were civilians.
According to Hamas officials, more than 17,000 people have been killed in Israeli counterattacks, mainly air strikes and artillery fire. United Nations official Martin Griffiths warned Thursday that it is no longer safe for civilians to remain in southern Gaza due to the Israeli military operation, making it difficult to send humanitarian aid to the enclave.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday again called on Israel to prevent civilian deaths.
“There’s a gap right now between the desire to protect civilians and the actual results that we’re seeing on the ground,” Blinken said.
The UN Security Council will vote overnight on Saturday on a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
2023-12-08 17:06:00
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