An Arab ambassador said Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to arm one of Gaza’s most notorious criminal gangs as a foil to Hamas demonstrates that “he has learned little since October 7.”
“Netanyahu worked to weaken the [Palestinian Authority] by bolstering Hamas in Gaza before October 7, and now he is doing it by bolstering this gang of criminals,” the ambassador told The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity, likening the Gaza financial aid that Netanyahu solicited from Qatar for Hamas to the transfer of weapons that the premier authorized to the Abu Shabab clan, which is widely known for its looting of humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Netanyahu has denied bolstering Hamas through the Qatari aid, insisting that it was meant to stave off a humanitarian crisis in the blockaded Strip. However, critics have argued that the hundreds of millions of dollars that came in from Qatar allowed Hamas to focus on expanding its military arsenal in the years leading up to its October 7, 2023, attack when some 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel and another 251 were taken hostage.
“Netanyahu didn’t want to work with the PA then because it would have meant advancing a broader diplomatic resolution to the conflict, and he is taking the same approach now,” the senior Arab diplomat says.
“Arming clans in Gaza only further divides the Palestinians and increases the chances of a Somalia-like scenario in Gaza,” the ambassador says, expressing concern that the Strip will become a failed state characterized by lawlessness and rival militia groups.
Netanyahu’s decision to arm the Abu Shabab clan was kept secret from his far-right coalition partners, who would have likely come out against the move. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have long spoken out against Israel’s decision to arm the PA as part of the Oslo Accords. But Israel’s security establishment has backed the paradigm, arguing that the PA has played a critical role in stabilizing the West Bank.
In confirming his decision to arm the Abu Shabab clan earlier today, Netanyahu made a point of stressing that the initiative was advanced “in consultation with security officials.”
“We made use of clans in Gaza that are opposed to Hamas… What’s wrong with that?” he asked. “It’s only good. It saves the lives of IDF soldiers.”
But an Israeli official told The Times of Israel that such schemes were only proposed by the Shin Bet because Netanyahu has barred the security establishment from advancing Gaza security initiatives that involve the PA.
Granting a foothold in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority — which backs a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — would likely have risked collapsing Netanyahu’s government, given Ben Gvir and Smotrich’s strong disregard for the PA.
Allowing the PA to play a role in Gaza would unlock the support of roughly half a dozen Arab countries who have expressed willingness to play a role in the post-war rehabilitation of Gaza if invited by Ramallah.
But that initiative has never gotten off the ground due to opposition from Netanyahu, who has likened the PA to Hamas, while rejecting the notion of entrusting Israel’s security to foreign actors.
The Israeli stance is widely understood to be an extension of Netanyahu’s efforts to thwart a two-state solution, which would be advanced by having a single governing authority in both Gaza and the West Bank, where the PA is currently based.