For the first time, Israel's prime minister presents his plans to the cabinet. A full security check by “local officials” is planned.
Destruction in Rafah on February 23 Photo: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
TEL AVIV/GAZA (dpa) | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented his plan for managing the Gaza Strip after the war to the Security Cabinet, according to a media report. This provides for – as Netanyahu has repeatedly reiterated – full security control over the entire coastal area by the Israeli army, The Times of Israel newspaper reported on Friday evening.
As for the future administration of the Gaza Strip, the policy document states in vague terms that it would be led by “local officials” with professional experience. They will be people who will not have connections with “countries or organizations that support terrorism.”
The Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs the West Bank, does not specifically figure in the plan, according to the report. 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 start of the war. But it was the first time they were formally presented to the cabinet, the newspaper wrote.
The United States depends on a renewed Palestinian Authority led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and wants it to regain control of the Gaza Strip. Israel rejects this and accuses the autonomous authority of supporting terrorism.
But Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has also so far rejected calls from some far-right ministers in his government for the repopulation of the Gaza Strip.
The United States, as Israel's most important ally, is committed to a two-state solution that provides for the peaceful coexistence of Israel and a future Palestinian state. Israel demands comprehensive military control over all Palestinian territories even in the case of an agreement with the Palestinians. Netanyahu recently made clear that this includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.