No cure for Gaza, US ambassador reportedly says

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman told a group of American Jews that it was not possible to solve Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, Walla News reports.

“This is a disease with no cure. At this juncture, Israel can only manage it, and not provide a long-term solution, because the conditions do not allow it,” he said on Tuesday in a conference call with the American Jewish Congress, according to the report.

Friedman, who compared the situation to a Rubik’s Cube, said going to war against Gaza would be too dangerous for Israel and so a ceasefire was the best option.

Friedman blamed the Strip’s dire situation on PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who he accused of speaking out of both sides of his mouth, but also said the PA was “much more preferable,” to Hamas, according to the report.

The comments come as Israel is reportedly in indirect talks with Hamas for a long-term calm along the restive frontier. On Tuesday, Abbas reportedly said he would allow a deal between Israel and Hamas “over my dead body,” rejecting the terror group’s ability to make policy moves in the Strip, where it is the de facto ruler.

A US peace plan, which has been rejected by Abbas, reportedly includes major infrastructure projects in Gaza as a path toward easing the humanitarian crisis there.