Now that we know what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's post-war Gaza plan is (see post at 2:25 p.m.), we bring you our analysis. Middle East Correspondent Alistair Bankal.
Four and a half months after the fighting began, the Israeli prime minister has finally released a draft vision for Gaza after the war ends.
He did so because world opinion, especially Washington, was rapidly turning against him and he was trying to regain some control.
The brief document, submitted to Israel's Security Cabinet last night and released to the media, is just over a page long.
Prime Minister Netanyahu's plan is currently divided into three sections: short-term and long-term.
For now, the IDF will continue to fight until Hamas is militarily destroyed, but it is clear that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no intention of ending the war any time soon.
If that is achieved (if it is achieved), governance of Gaza will be handed over to “local officials with administrative experience but no past ties to Hamas or other armed groups.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu is not sure who that person is, knowing full well that given that Gaza has been ruled by Hamas since 2006, it is difficult to find anyone who fits that specific profile. Not detailed.
It is not difficult to imagine future scenarios when the Israeli prime minister claims that, despite his best efforts, he has not been able to find someone reliable in Gaza to take over governance.
According to the plan, UNRWA, the United Nations agency that operates services in Gaza, would be shut down and a “buffer zone” set up inside Gaza since October 7 would remain, despite US opposition.
Israel will also maintain security control over Gaza and the entire West Bank.
Finally, restoration of the Gaza Strip will only begin once the strip is “deradicalized” and financed by countries “tolerated by Israel,” but not by Israel itself.
But if Israel wants Saudi Arabia, the UAE and others to spend money on rebuilding what Israel has destroyed, it will likely come with firm conditions, which will almost certainly involve the Palestinian Authority (PA) It would include a role and a path to a Palestinian Authority. independent state of Palestine.
Cynics will be wary.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, deeply unpopular in Israel, is under increasing pressure internationally.
In recent weeks, the US and UK have been making noise about recognizing Palestine as an independent state.
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This prospect was dismissed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has always opposed a two-state solution.
Ironically, although Prime Minister Netanyahu has said multiple times in recent weeks that a Palestinian state cannot be unilaterally declared without Israeli recognition, his “later” document on Gaza includes There is no mention of consultations with the Palestinian People's Government regarding the future of the Palestinian People's Government.
Netanyahu's plan is so succinct that it could be seen as an insult to those who have been urging him to take it seriously.
It appears to be an attempt to buy time – to give the impression that he is taking things seriously, but in reality is to continue the war that Israel and many around the world believe is inevitable. , which is simply creating space to delay his removal from office.
