Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has presented a plan for governing the Gaza Strip after the war. He wants a Palestinian civilian administration, with Israeli control over security and the freedom to operate in Gaza. A condition for continued Palestinian rule is that there are no hostile actions or threats against the state of Israel, Gallant said. He also presented a plan for the continuation of the offensive on Thursday. In southern Gaza, where most Gazans are currently located, the offensive will continue “as long as deemed necessary” to eliminate Hamas and free hostages.
Gallant presented his plans ahead of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's visit to Israel, the West Bank and several Arab countries.
Renewed fear
Amid renewed fears of a regional escalation since Israel's liquidation of Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut, Blinken wants to talk to leaders in the region about the next phase of the war and humanitarian aid for Gaza. The US is pushing for renewed administration of the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian Authority and new negotiations on a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Gallant's plan for governing Gaza is not yet official policy and must be approved by the War Cabinet. The minister did not make it clear who will take on the civil administration. Prime Minister Netanyahu is against the Palestinian Authority being reinstalled.
Previously, Israeli media reported that the Israeli army and security services want the Gaza Strip to be divided into several districts and sub-districts, governed by different Palestinian 'clans' responsible for civil administration and the distribution of humanitarian aid.
The idea that Israel maintains extensive control over the Gaza Strip is unacceptable to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. In an interview with the Financial Times Mohammed Shtayyeh, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, said that there must be a political solution for all of Palestine, and not just in the Gaza Strip.
According to Shtayyeh, Israel is trying to further politically divide the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. He warned that the situation in the West Bank is in danger of exploding due to Israeli incursions and restrictive measures.
No Israelis in the Gaza Strip
Gallant has also indicated that there will be “no presence of Israeli civilians in the Gaza Strip after the goals of the war have been achieved.” This statement differs from the calls by various politicians in the ultra-right government for a reoccupation of Gaza by settlers.
“I don't think there is anyone in Israel who doesn't want to see Israeli settlements everywhere,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently told the Israeli army radio station. He also said that emigration from the Gaza Strip should be promoted. “If there were 100,000 to 200,000 Arabs in the strip instead of two million, the conversation about the next day would be very different.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir recently said the war has the potential to encourage the emigration of Gazans and he supports the establishment of Israeli settlements there.
Amid the discussion about the post-war situation, the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip continues. The offensive has killed 22,400 Palestinians so far, the majority of them women and children. Thousands are still missing or buried under the rubble.
Of the Gaza Strip's population of 2.3 million, 85 percent have been displaced and 70 percent of buildings have been destroyed. The complete blockade and the war threaten “catastrophic hunger”, according to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
Under Gallant's plan, an international coalition of the US, several European countries and regional partners will be responsible for rebuilding the area.
Meanwhile, an infamous statement by Gallant was included in South Africa's recent indictment of Israel at the International Court of Justice for “genocidal acts” in the Gaza Strip. Just days after the Hamas attack on October 7, Gallant said of the Israeli offensive in Gaza: “We are fighting human animals and we will act accordingly.”
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