Palestinian Authority Secretly Transfers its Plan to Control Gaza to Washington
Israeli media revealed on Sunday evening that the Palestinian Authority secretly transferred a 101-page plan to the United States detailing its plans to take control of the Gaza Strip.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, the Palestinian Authority’s plan does not provide answers regarding the assumption of security responsibilities in the Gaza Strip. It affirms the need for extensive international assistance to meet administrative and security needs, as well as for debris removal, building restoration, and repairing communication and electricity networks.
The Hebrew channel reported that the plan does not clarify how to address the issue of smuggling through tunnels along the Philadelphi Route and the Rafah crossing. It also does not specify how the Palestinian Authority intends to prevent the re-establishment of Hamas’ military capabilities or attacks on Israeli targets and the firing on the Israeli occupation state.
The Hebrew channel added that American officials reject the document prepared by teams appointed by Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa. One of the document’s goals is to allow government offices in Ramallah to operate in Gaza, with Israel withdrawing from government offices in the Gaza Strip through 12,000 employees who are paid by the Palestinian Authority.
Future of Hamas in Gaza
The document also does not clarify what international presence the Palestinian Authority wants to see in Gaza on the “day after,” nor does it address what the future of Hamas in Gaza will be.
The document pledges to examine the salary payment practices of the Palestinian Authority and to equalize the salaries in the Gaza Strip with those paid in the West Bank.
The channel continued that the Palestinian Authority presented the document after continuous pressure from the United States and European countries on President Mahmoud Abbas to outline his plans for the Gaza Strip.
Indeed, the Palestinian Authority has already started operating in the Gaza Strip through Israeli coordination and assistance from some international organizations. For instance, the Palestinian Energy Authority instructed the Gaza Electricity Company earlier to start repairing one of the main power lines, following coordination between the Authority in Ramallah and Israel, according to the Ultra Palestine website.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration acknowledges that it will be difficult for the Palestinian Authority’s security forces to play any future role in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli government’s opposition to the Authority’s return to the region. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that Tel Aviv will not accept the Authority’s return to the Gaza Strip, claiming that it could threaten Israel’s security. He went further, saying that Israel is preparing for the possibility of fighting against Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank.
