White House officials fear Mahmoud Abbas will be unable to lead Gaza after the war, even as Joe Biden continues to back a “revitalised” Palestinian Authority (PA) taking control.
The issue has dominated around-the-clock discussions in the White House, where senior officials have spent weeks frantically drafting proposals for how to run Gaza, sources familiar with the talks told The Sunday Telegraph.
America’s private push for Israel to conclude its offensive early in the new year has illuminated not only Joe Biden’s desire to end the war, but also his ideas for what comes next.
It has also exposed a rift between Washington and Israel, with the two allies at odds over how they believe the enclave should be run after hostilities with Hamas cease.
Senior officials have been foregoing sleep as they work to game out plans that might be palatable to all parties involved.
For any to succeed, they stress, it must have the backing of Palestinians, Israel and their Arab neighbours – a high bar to clear given the PA’s rampant corruption and the growing popularity of Hamas in the West Bank.
Concerns abound over Mr Abbas, 88, the president of PA, who is now 18 years into an elected four-year term.
White House officials do not explicitly say Mr Abbas cannot remain in his position. But national security sources have signalled that behind the scenes the US is confronting the “biological reality” of the situation.
One former official said it was likely the administration would be “building up our relationship, and our interactions” with potential replacements.