Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled his vision for post-war Gaza on Friday, February 23, quickly rejected by the Palestinian Authority.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed a plan for post-war Gaza that envisions local Palestinian officials without links to Hamas or its foreign backers governing the territory, Israeli media reported on Friday.
The proposal, which Netanyahu submitted to his security cabinet late on Thursday, would also see the Israeli army persisting in its war on Hamas until it achieves key goals.
Those include dismantling Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and securing the release of all hostages still held captive in Gaza.
After the war ends, Gaza’s civil affairs would be run by “local officials with administrative experience” and who are “not linked to countries or entities that support terrorism,” the Times of Israel newspaper reported, quoting key elements of Netanyahu’s plan.
Even after the war, the Israeli army would have “indefinite freedom” to operate throughout Gaza to prevent any resurgence of terror activity, according to the plan.
“The plan states that Israel will move forward with its already-in-motion project to establish a security buffer zone on the Palestinian side of the strip’s border,” the report said, adding that the zone would remain “as long as there is a security need for it.”
It also envisages Israeli security control “over the entire area west of Jordan” from the land, sea and air “to prevent the strengthening of terrorist elements in the (occupied West Bank) and the Gaza Strip and to thwart threats from them towards Israel,” the report said.
The plan envisages Gaza’s “complete demilitarisation… beyond what is required for the needs of maintaining public order.”
It aims to promote “de-radicalisation in all religious, educational and welfare institutions in Gaza.”
Dismantling UNRWA
A key element of the plan was the dismantling of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, the report said.
Israel alleged that several employees of UNRWA took part in the October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
The United Nations sacked the employees accused by Israel and has begun an internal probe of the agency. Since the Israeli allegations emerged, several countries suspended their funding to the agency.
The plan also has elements concerning the Egypt-Gaza border, which has been plagued by smuggling, the newspaper reported.
It said that a “southern closure” on the frontier would be enforced to prevent a revival of any terror or smuggling activity.
Some elements of the reported Netanyahu plan conflict with Washington’s vision for post-war Gaza.
Palestinian Rejection
The United States backed Netanyahu’s call to eradicate Hamas, which controls Gaza, but called for the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmud Abbas in the occupied West Bank, to gradually take over control in Gaza.
Netanyahu has long denounced the Palestinian Authority, and on Wednesday, Israel’s parliament also backed his other proposal opposing any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.
The Palestinian Authority quickly rejected the proposal, accusing Netanyahu of perpetuating Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territories.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry criticized the plan as “a formal declaration of the return of the occupation to the Gaza Strip, and an attempt to gain more time to implement the expulsion plan.”
“This is a maneuver to circumvent and sabotage the efforts of the United States and the international community to achieve a cease-fire and the release of prisoners in order to serve Netanyahu’s continued rule,” it added.
With AFP
