The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has presented his plan for managing the Gaza Strip after the war to the Security Cabinet. According to a media report, this provides for full security control over the entire coastal area by the Israeli military, as Netanyahu has previously reiterated, the newspaper “The Times of Israel” reported.
In addition, all Israeli hostages in the hands of Hamas should return, dead or alive. In addition, the controversial Palestinian relief organization UNRWA must be closed.
As for the future administration of the Gaza Strip, the policy paper vaguely stated that it would be led by “local officials” with professional experience. These will be people who have no ties to “countries or organizations that support terrorism.”
The Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs the West Bank, is not explicitly named in the plan, it said. However, this does not exclude their participation in the future administration of the Gaza Strip.
The plan is largely based on well-known principles that Netanyahu has repeatedly expressed since the beginning of the war. But it was the first time that they were formally presented to the cabinet, the newspaper wrote.
The USA is relying on a revamped PA led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and wants it to take control again in the Gaza Strip. Israel rejects this and accuses the authority of supporting terror.
But Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has also so far rejected calls from some right-wing extremist ministers in his government for the repopulation of the Gaza Strip. The United States, as Israel’s most important ally, advocates for a two-state solution that envisions peaceful coexistence between Israel and a future Palestinian state.
Israel claims comprehensive military control over all Palestinian territories even in the event of an agreement with the Palestinians. Netanyahu recently made it clear that this includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
