Netanyahu may allow PA officials to run Gaza after war – report

This, after rejecting PA involvement for months, saying “Fatahstan” is no better than “Hamastan.”

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is quietly considering the idea of allowing certain people connected to the Palestinian Authority (PA) to have a managing role in the Gaza Strip after Hamas has been defeated, The Times of Israel (TOI) reported Tuesday.

For months, Netanyahu has rejected the idea that the PA could be involved on “the day after,” saying that as a clear supporter of terrorism itself, “Fatahstan” is no better than “Hamastan.”

PA President Mahmoud Abbas has yet to even verbally condemn his bitter rival organization’s October 7 massacre of 1,200 and kidnapping of 252 people during a surprise invasion of Gazan envelope communities and a dance rave.

Last week, Netanyahu may have sent a hint of some changed thinking when he told Channel 14 that his preference is for a “civil administration — if possible with local Palestinians and hopefully with support from countries in the region.”

“‘Local Palestinians’ is code for PA-affiliated individuals,” an Israeli security source told TOI.

Two officials said these are “lower-level” Gazan civil servants who worked for the PA-run government in administering the coastal enclave until the Hamas coup in 2007 threw them from their positions.

One of the officials said that while Netanyahu would not countenance the “current PA” taking charge, he might be more accommodating if Abbas actually follows through on reforming the PA as the United States has demanded in exchange for its support in getting Gaza back and the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state.

On Friday, The Washington Post had revealed Defense Minister Yoav Galant’s transition plan for Gaza that also included PA involvement, which the paper said Galant had detailed to the American administration officials he met with during his recent trip to Washington.

According to Galant, Gaza should be divided into 24 administrative regions whose security will initially be overseen by the U.S. and moderate Arab countries such as Egypt, Jordan, the UAE and Morocco.

A presumably pre-vetted Palestinian force trained by the Americans would gradually take over their duties.

In reaction to the story, Israeli “security sources” told Ynet that Netanyahu had removed his objection to “Fatah’s” involvement in post-war Gaza, which would be in line with what TOI’s sources said.

However, the Prime Minister’s Office denied this outright.

“The publication that Prime Minister Netanyahu removed his objection to Fatah’s involvement the day after is false,” said the PMO. “The Prime Minister is consistent in his position that those who finance terrorism, support terrorism and educate for terrorism – including the Palestinian Authority – cannot be a partner in the management of Gaza the day after Hamas.”

Netanyahu has stressed before his objections to the PA based on its financial support for terrorism.

This largely refers to its “pay for slay” policy of providing jailed terrorists a monthly stipend based on a sliding scale where the more heinous the crimes, the higher the prisoner’s salary is.

In March, Biden administration officials revealed that in line with other alleged reform plans, the PA is thinking of replacing the policy with “needs-based” payments, that is, a welfare program instead of a scheme that incentivizes terrorism.

Even if Netanyahu can be convinced that the PA is reforming itself, his right-wing coalition partners would never acquiesce to handing the PA any more power than it already has, considering that they want to weaken it as much as possible.

Perhaps this is the source of the idea of giving prominence to those with weaker links to the PA.

However, the second side has to agree, and it is considered highly doubtful that the PA would approve such a plan without a firm guarantee that its assistance would lead to an independent state, something that the vast majority of Israelis reject outright as giving a prize to terrorism.

'the day after'Benjamin NetanyahuGazaIsrael-Hamas warPalestinian Authority