It’s hard to find people to run Gaza who weren’t in Hamas or PA, says Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argues that neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority are happy with the makeup of the 12-member National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.

“They took old families, not everyone, those who aren’t refugees, and took generally businessmen,” he says of the efforts to find people to sit on the committee.

“There’s a simple truth in Gaza,” says Netanyahu. Almost everybody “either worked for Hamas, or they worked for the PA. If you try to look for a water engineer who wasn’t in either, you won’t find one.”

Netanyahu stresses that Israel is vetting officials to make sure those from Hamas’s military wing aren’t included.

“The important thing is, who will pay their salaries, and the most important thing is to take apart Hamas and not let the PA enter,” he says.

Asked about taking responsibility for the October 7, 2023, failures, Netanyahu says “everyone will take their responsibility” once “the truth” is credibly established. Rather than a powerhouse state commission of inquiry, as most Israelis have consistently told pollsters is required, the prime minister again advances his preferred inquiry panel appointed by government and opposition, citing the US inquiry into 9/11 as a precedent. The opposition has dismissed the idea, but the coalition is nonetheless advancing legislation to this effect.