Netanyahu Outlines Post-War Strategy for Gaza Amidst International Scrutiny
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled a comprehensive plan for the Gaza Strip’s future once the ongoing conflict subsides. In a detailed proposal presented to the security cabinet on Thursday, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel intends to retain security control over Palestinian areas and tie reconstruction efforts to the demilitarization of the region.
The plan, consolidating well-established Israeli positions, underscores Netanyahu’s resistance to the formation of a Palestinian state, viewing it as a security threat, although he does not explicitly rule it out in the future. Palestinian officials swiftly dismissed the plan as destined for failure.
According to the document, Israel aims to maintain security control over all land west of the Jordan River, encompassing the occupied West Bank and Gaza, territories where Palestinians aspire to establish an independent state. The presentation comes amid escalating international calls to cease the destructive conflict in Gaza and reinvigorate efforts for a two-state solution alongside Israel.
In outlining long-term goals, Netanyahu rejects the “unilateral recognition” of a Palestinian state, insisting that a settlement must be achieved through direct negotiations between the involved parties. The proposal for Gaza involves replacing Hamas administrative control with local representatives not affiliated with terrorist entities, setting demilitarization and deradicalization as medium-term objectives.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s office claims that the document reflects broad public consensus on the war’s goals and the replacement of Hamas rule in Gaza with a civilian alternative. However, the plan lacks specifics on when the intermediary stage would commence or its duration, conditioning Gaza’s rehabilitation on complete demilitarization.
As the plans became public on Friday, efforts to negotiate a pause in the fighting continued, aiming to facilitate the return of some of the 134 hostages held by Hamas ahead of the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
If a deal is not reached, Israeli ministers have indicated that a long-awaited operation against the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians seek shelter under dire humanitarian conditions, will be launched.
Responding to Netanyahu’s proposal, the spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, dismissed it as doomed to fail. He emphasized that genuine security and stability in the region require ending Israel’s occupation, recognizing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Netanyahu’s plan also suggests Israel’s presence on the Gaza-Egypt border in the south of the enclave, collaborating with Egypt and the United States to prevent smuggling attempts, including at the Rafah crossing. The proposal further calls for the shutdown of the U.N. Palestinian refugees agency UNRWA, replacing it with other international aid groups.
Distributed to security cabinet members for discussion, the plan comes in the aftermath of a conflict triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in October. The toll of the conflict includes casualties, displacements, and widespread suffering, with limited progress made on achieving Palestinian statehood since the signing of the Oslo Accords in the early 1990s.
Obstacles to Palestinian statehood include expanding Israeli settlements in territories captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Most countries consider these settlements a violation of international law. Israel, asserting a biblical birthright to the land, recently announced approval for more than 3,000 new housing units in settlements, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing challenges in the region.