Palestinians without ties to terrorism will govern the Gaza Strip and a domestic security force will be established to maintain order, according to a post-war plan released on Friday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to Netanyahu’s plan, in the immediate aftermath of the war, Israel will maintain control “over the entire area west of [the] Jordan [River], including the Gaza border area, to prevent the strengthening of terrorist elements in the Palestinian Authority and the Gaza Strip and to thwart threats against Israel,” according to a report in the Jerusalem Post.
The Gaza Strip will be entirely demilitarized, the plan states, while a domestic security force will maintain order rather than Israel Defense Forces soldiers. This situation would resemble one currently in effect in the West Bank, where a Palestinian police force patrols the territory and the IDF enforces military security.
The task of governing Gaza would fall on locals with administrative experience who do not have ties to countries or entities that support or finance terrorism, according to the Post. This stipulation would cut the Palestinian Authority out of contention to govern the Gaza Strip, as the PA sends money to Palestinian terrorists and their families. It may also preclude states like Qatar — which has significant ties to Hamas — from involvement in the next phase of governance in Gaza.
Netanyahu also pitched a “comprehensive de-radicalization program for all religious, educational, and welfare institutions in the Gaza strip” that would be conducted “as much as possible with the involvement and assistance of Arab countries that have experience in promoting de-radicalization in their territory,” the Post reported.
Israel will also “work to stop [United Nations Relief and Works Agency] activities in the Gaza Strip and replace them with responsible international aid agencies,” a move that comes after revelations detailing UNRWA workers’ ties to and support for Hamas.
The plan, Netanyahu clarified, will only come into effect once Israel defeats its terrorist enemies.
“The IDF will continue the war until its goals are achieved: the destruction of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad’s military capabilities and governmental infrastructure, the return of the hostages, and the prevention of any threats emanating from the Gaza Strip,” he said, according the Post.
Netanyahu had previously presented the plan to his security cabinet.
Also on Friday, Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel plans to build thousands more homes in West Bank settlements after Palestinian assailants killed one Israeli and wounded eight in a terrorist attack near a security checkpoint.
Smotrich said he, Netanyahum and defense minister Yoav Gallant formulated a plan to approve the construction of new homes, with Israeli media outlets reporting that the number is approximately 3,000.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his disapproval with the news to reporters during a visit to Argentina.
“We’ve seen the reports and I have to say we’re disappointed in the announcement. It’s been long-standing U.S. policy under Republican and Democratic administrations alike that new settlements are counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace,” Blinken said. “They’re also inconsistent with international law. Our administration maintains a firm opposition to settlement expansion and, in our judgment, this only weakens — doesn’t strengthen — Israel’s security.”