TEL AVIV, Jan 5 — Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday offered his plan for the post-war administration of the Gaza Strip, saying neither Hamas nor Israel would govern the Palestinian territory after hostilities there conclude.
Gallant unveiled a top level view of his plan for the “day after” the battle to the press earlier than submitting it to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s battle cupboard, which has been divided in current weeks over the way forward for Gaza after the ouster of Hamas, which has dominated the strip since 2007.
Under the plan, Israel’s battle within the territory will proceed till it has secured the return of the hostages taken on October 7, dismantled Hamas’ “army and governing capabilities”, and eliminated any remaining army threats.
After that, the define says, a brand new section will start throughout which “Hamas is not going to management Gaza and won’t pose a safety risk to the residents of Israel”, with native Palestinian our bodies assuming the territory’s governance.
Israel would reserve its proper to function contained in the territory, the plan states, however there can be “no Israeli civilian presence within the Gaza Strip after the objectives of the battle have been achieved”.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Monday referred to as for Israeli settlers to return to the territory after the battle and for a “resolution to encourage the emigration” of Gaza’s Palestinian inhabitants, echoing comparable feedback by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The calls had drawn condemnation from Arab states, in addition to from key ally the United States.
“Gaza residents are Palestinian, due to this fact Palestinian our bodies might be in cost, with the situation that there might be no hostile actions or threats in opposition to the State of Israel,” Gallant’s define says.
“The entity controlling the territory will construct on the capabilities of the present administrative mechanism (civil committees) in Gaza,” it provides.
Washington has prompt Gaza be ruled by a “revitalised” Palestinian Authority, which is predicated within the occupied West Bank.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Palestinian Authority prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh mentioned any eventual association should contain “a political resolution for all of Palestine”, not simply Gaza.
“[Israel] needs to separate Gaza from the West Bank politically,” Shtayyeh mentioned.
“I don’t assume Israel goes to depart Gaza very quickly. I feel Israel goes to create its personal civil administration that capabilities underneath the Israeli occupying military. And due to this fact the difficulty of the ‘day after’ will not be clear but.”
Gallant’s plan comes on the eve of a go to by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who’s travelling to the Middle East to press for extra humanitarian support for Gaza and to stave off any regional escalation of the battle. — eNM
