Status: 07.11.2023, 12:05 p.m.
By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit by the soldiers. © Amos Ben Gershom/Israel Gpo/imago-images
There is still no clear answer to the question of who will take over the leadership of Gaza after the end of the war. Netanyahu probably wants to sort this out himself.
Tel Aviv – The Israeli ground offensive in the Gaza Strip following the bloody attack by the Palestinian Hamas on October 7 is underway. While the war in Israel is still in full swing, the U.S. and Israel are already thinking about how to handle the 40-kilometer Palestinian territory after the war ends. There are several solutions to this, ranging from a joint Arab peacekeeping force to control by the Palestinian Authority.
Israeli control in the Gaza Strip: Netanyahu wants to control Palestinian territory
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now thrown a new approach into the room. According to him, Israel intends to retain responsibility for security in the Gaza Strip indefinitely. "We've seen what happens when we don't have them," Netanyahu said in an interview with the US broadcaster ABC in response to the question. "Because if we don't have control over security, Hamas' terror will erupt on a scale that we can't imagine," Netanyahu added.
Referring to Netanyahu's statements, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stressed that discussions about a future government in Gaza with Israeli counterparts would continue. "I don't think any solutions have been found for this so far," the Israeli broadcaster Reshet 13 quoted the spokesman as saying.
War in Israel: Prime Minister Netanyahu rejects ceasefire
In the same interview, Netanyahu ruled out a longer ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for the time being. "Without the release of the hostages, there will be no general ceasefire in the Gaza Strip," he stressed. Only "small ceasefires" of several hours are possible. These have already been done in the past to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid and the release of individual hostages.
A larger ceasefire would slow down Israel's war effort, the prime minister said. In addition, the release of the hostages in the hands of Hamas would be delayed, Netanyahu claimed. After all, only "military pressure that we exert" has an effect on the Palestinian militants. The Israeli leader also admitted that the duty to protect the people had not been fulfilled. "Tough questions will be asked, and I will be the first to answer them," Netanyahu said. Previously, the US had insisted on a ceasefire.
Who will rule Gaza? U.S. and Israel are considering different solutions
So far, Israel has been reluctant to plan for the future of the Gaza Strip. Several quarters in the Israeli government have repeatedly said that the priority is the destruction of Hamas. The question of who should govern Gaza will be dealt with later. Now, however, initial discussions are underway in Israeli politics in order to find an answer to the question.
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Opposition leader Yair Lapid recently stated that the Palestinian Authority under Mahmoud Abbas must take control of the Gaza Strip. However, a seizure of power thanks to an Israeli offensive would significantly weaken Abbas's support among the Palestinians. Therefore, it is unclear whether Abbas would take over the leadership of Gaza. Demonstrations are already taking place in the West Bank, especially in the city of Ramallah. Abbas is accused of not taking a strong enough stand against Israel.
Senior Hamas official Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzouk had accused the Palestinian Authority and several Arab countries, whom he did not name, of publicly criticizing Israel but advocating the destruction of Hamas in private conversations. Therefore, it seems rather unlikely that the population in Gaza, which has been living under Hamas' leadership for years, would accept an Arab peacekeeping mission. The U.S. and Israel are also considering this approach. (bb/dpa)