Netanyahu against Palestinian government in Gaza
Unlike the USA, Israel's prime minister cannot imagine a supporting role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza after the war. Netanyahu leaves the question of who should govern open. What is certain, however, is that the IDF must have access to the area at all times.
In the debate about the future of the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out the involvement of the Palestinian Authority. "There will have to be something else there," he said on Israeli television this evening when asked whether the Palestinian Authority under the leadership of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas could govern the Gaza Strip after the war. The coastal area should not be under the control of an authority "that educates its children to hate Israel, kill Israelis and wipe out the state of Israel".
Israel must have control over security in the Gaza Strip in any case, Netanyahu emphasized. The army must be able to enter the coastal area at any time "to drive out the terrorists who might reappear".
At the end of October, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke out in favor of the Palestinian Authority taking back control of the Gaza Strip in the long term. In the initial period after the end of the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, a transitional arrangement involving international players is conceivable.
Israel's withdrawal in 2005
Israel withdrew completely from the coastal strip in 2005 after 38 years of occupation. The Islamist Hamas emerged victorious from elections held there a year later. After armed clashes with Palestinian President Abbas' rival secular Fatah, it finally took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007.
On October 7, hundreds of Hamas fighters invaded Israel and committed atrocities, mainly against civilians, including many children. According to updated Israeli figures, 1,200 people were killed in Israel and more than 240 people were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
Israel then declared war on Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the USA and the EU, and targeted the Palestinian organization's positions in the Gaza Strip. According to Hamas, which cannot be independently verified, more than 11,000 people have been killed since then, including 4,500 children.
Given Netanyahu's stance, it is unlikely that he will endorse a future Gaza government led by the Palestinian Authority, as he believes they promote hatred towards Israel. Instead, Netanyahu maintains that Israel should maintain control over the area's security, allowing for the army's entry at any time to combat potential terrorist activities.
Source: www.ntv.de
