From the Liveblog of
Monday, December 18, 2023
Foreign Ministry team reportedly draws up document on post-war Gaza; no overt role for PA
A Foreign Ministry team has been working in recent weeks on an Israeli vision for Gaza on the day after the war ends, Channel 12 reports.
The team was established by Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, and the document is intended to be presented for discussion by the cabinet, the report says.
The guiding principle, the TV report says, is: “Israel is working to bring about a future in which the Palestinians will govern themselves with no capacity to threaten Israel.”
The document includes no specific provision for a role for the Palestinian Authority, as the US has said it ultimately seeks, but does hint at a role for Gaza-based officials from the PA’s main Fatah component.
Regarding security, the document provides for “complete freedom of action for the IDF” in Gaza; prevention of any rearming and the “enforcement of full demilitarization” in the enclave; the establishment of “buffer zones”; a mechanism to prevent smuggling; oversight of the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border and at the Rafah border crossing, and a “maritime security force.”
Regarding civil governance, the document provides for “an international mechanism to handle humanitarian services.”
It envisages key regional states including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE administering civilian life, along with international organizations already active in Gaza including UN agencies, together with “local elements not identified with Hamas” — which the TV report describes as “a euphemism” for Gaza-based Fatah clerks.
The document also reportedly provides for an overhaul of the curriculum in UNRWA schools.
