Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, is adamantly opposed to the idea of a Palestinian Authority (PA) governing the Gaza Strip after the Israel Defense Forces wiped out Hamas. However, a recent development suggests that the Biden administration may not care. Biden’s administration is adamant that the PA will take over Gaza after the Israel-Hamas war has ended.
Jake Sullivan is the White House’s National Security Advisor. He recently attended a discussion between PA leaders, White House officials, and Hamas to discuss what will happen after Hamas has been defeated.
Driving the news. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Friday and discussed the possibility of the Palestinian Authority being involved in governing Gaza after the war.
At a recent press conference, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that the White House National Security Council discussed issues related to Gaza’s governance after the conflict as well as the revitalized Palestinian Authority and its responsibility for managing the future of Palestinians.
Kirby said that Sullivan, Abbas, and Kirby had discussed ways to make the Palestinian Authority more “authentic, credible, and accountable”.
US officials claim that Biden’s administration is pressuring Abbas to make major reforms, despite his 87-year-old age. The Biden administration is pushing Abbas, who is 87 years old, to implement sweeping reforms.
Israel is not pleased with the move. It could be seen as an attempt by the Biden Administration to undermine Israel’s regional plans. Netanyahu stated last month that Israel did not want the PA involved in Gaza Strip governance following the war despite President Joe Biden’s insistence.
Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, that once Hamas is eliminated, the Palestinian Authority in Gaza will no longer have any role. The announcement goes against the Biden administration and the United Nations, who have both insisted upon this outcome after the war ended.
Netanyahu’s declaration comes as the U.S. and U.N. have been pressuring Israel to allow the PA to take over the region.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, stated that Israel did not intend to give Gaza to the Palestinian Authority once the war was over. He was resisting pressure from the United States.
Netanyahu said that “the Palestinian Authority in its current form is not capable of accepting responsibility for Gaza”.
Netanyahu said, “How can we give them the money after all we have done? ”
He noted that Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, had not condemned the massacre on October 7, 2008, which ignited the Gaza War. Hamas killed over 1,200 people and took 239 hostages in the attack.
Netanyahu said that “Abu Mazen has refused to condemn this event 43 days after it, the worst Jewish mass murder since the Holocaust”, adding that Palestinian Ministers are celebrating the event.
In its effort to undermine Prime Minister Netanyahu’s statement, the White House seems to ignore the Israeli Government. It could have negative consequences for U.S.-Israel relations as well as for Gazans.
Both Hamas and the PA have been guilty of human rights violations for years. Residents in Gaza and the West Bank were subjected to torture and extrajudicial killings. Given this, it may not be a good idea for the Biden administration to insist that the PA is responsible for Gaza.
