Israel presents plans for buffer zone
Following the Hamas massacres of Israeli civilians, the country invaded the Gaza Strip in order to crush the terrorist group. It is unclear what will happen to the Palestinian territory afterwards. The government is now sending plans for a buffer zone to Arab states.
According to insiders, Israel has informed several Arab states of plans to establish a buffer zone around the Palestinian territory after the war in the Gaza Strip. This zone is to be located on the Palestinian side, as the Reuters news agency learned from Egyptian and other circles in the region.
According to three insiders, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have been informed of the plans. Non-Arab Turkey had also been informed. Ophir Falk, foreign policy advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Reuters that a buffer zone could be part of a planned demilitarization of the coastal strip.
Israel had indicated that it was examining the establishment of a buffer zone. According to the insiders, the plans have now been presented to the aforementioned states as part of a future security solution for the Gaza Strip. "Israel wants this buffer zone between the Gaza Strip and Israel from the north to the south to prevent Hamas or other extremists from entering Israel or attacking Israel," said a representative of regional security authorities. He was one of three insiders who requested confidentiality, including regarding their nationality.
Width of the buffer zone unclear
No statements were available from the Arab states mentioned or from Turkey. A US representative said that Israel had presented the buffer zone plan. However, he did not say to whom it had been submitted.
Asked by Reuters about the zone, Netanyahu's adviser Falk said the plan was more detailed. It envisages a three-stage process that includes the destruction of Hamas and the demilitarization and de-radicalization of the Gaza Strip, he said. "A buffer zone could be part of the demilitarization process," he said.
According to high-ranking Israeli security circles, a buffer zone is being examined. The dimensions of a possible zone are unclear, for example whether it should extend one or two kilometers or hundreds of meters into the Gaza Strip. This is around 40 kilometers long and between five and twelve kilometers wide. 2.3 million people live there.
The proposed buffer zone by Israel aims to prevent Hamas or other extremists from entering Israel or launching attacks from the Gaza Strip. This buffer zone is a part of Israel's plans for the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, as discussed with several Arab states and Turkey following the war in the region.
Source: www.ntv.de
