2024-01-05 10:55:05
And after ? Many times the question has been asked: what will happen in the Gaza Strip after the war? Before Israel violently responded to the terrorist attacks of October 7, the Palestinian territory was managed by Hamas following elections in 2007, in rivalry with Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah which leads the Palestinian Authority, and therefore the West Bank. But after ? “Hamas will not control Gaza,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared Thursday evening, any more than Israel will administer the Palestinian enclave.
Yoav Gallant revealed the broad outlines of his first “post-war” plan to the press before submitting it to Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, divided in recent weeks over the course of action to follow in the war against the Islamist movement. , in power in Gaza for sixteen years.
According to the four-phase plan, operations in the Gaza Strip “will continue” until the “return of the hostages”, the “dismantling of Hamas’ military and governance capabilities” and the “elimination of military threats in the Gaza strip “.
The military to Israel, the civilian and reconstruction to an international coalition
After which another phase will begin, that of the “day after” the war according to which “Hamas will not control Gaza”, according to this plan which has not, at this stage, been adopted by the government . “There will be no Israeli civilian presence in the Gaza Strip after the objectives of the war have been achieved,” Gallant assured, specifying that the Israeli army would however retain “its freedom of action” in Gaza for curb any possible “threat”. In short: Israel would retain military control of the borders and could intervene in Gaza at any time, if security is at stake.
For the rest, “the inhabitants of Gaza are Palestinians. Therefore, Palestinian entities will be in charge (of management) on the condition that there is no hostile action or threat against the State of Israel,” affirmed the Minister of Defense without specifying which of the Palestinians , should administer this territory of 2.4 million inhabitants.
In recent weeks, analysts have discussed different scenarios such as the return to the Gaza Strip, after the war, of Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority (PA), which currently sits in the occupied West Bank. Existing Palestinian civilian leaders in Gaza will be integrated into the local government, according to Israeli press. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was also expected to brief cabinet on details of a plan he presented to U.S. officials last month, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken begins a new tour of the Near -East.
Bringing out new Palestinian leaders
According to Jerusalem Post, a transition will be organized under the supervision of the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and perhaps European countries, which will provide assistance in administering Gaza and rebuilding the territory. This period will allow new leaders to emerge, Palestinian and not subservient to the ideas of Hamas. Egypt, which is considered a “major player” in the plan, will assume responsibility for the main civilian border crossing into the Gaza Strip, in coordination with Israel.
In an interview with the Financial Times, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Mohammed Shtayyeh, however pleaded in favor of a “political solution for the whole of Palestine” and not just Gaza. “People are starting to talk about the next day, about the Palestinian Authority which would govern Gaza again”, but Israel “wants to politically separate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank”, he criticized.
Gallant’s plan does not provide for the resettlement of Israeli settlers in the Gazan enclave, in disagreement with other ministers who are in favor. It also does not set a time horizon or duration for the transition.
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