Gaza Takeover Issue Deepens Disagreements Between the U.S. and Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Natanyahu stated on the 11th that he opposed the takeover of the Gaza corridor by the Palestinian Autonomous Government (PA) from the Palestinian armed group Hamas after the Israeli-Hamas war, but the US warned Israel on the 8th not to reoccupy Gaza. The Financial Times reported that this highlights the deepening differences between the U.S. and Israel.
U.S. Secretary of State Abraham Lincoln said at the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Tokyo on August 8 that Gaza and the Israeli-occupied areas of the West Bank of the Jordan River should be returned to PA governance, and that Israel should not reoccupy Gaza. In October, he also mentioned that the Palestinian Authority should take back control of Gaza, and that the vacuum of power could be filled by international players during the transition period.
Natanyahu said in a press conference on November 11 that Israel should maintain security control over Gaza in case of emergency, and that Gaza also needed a governing body other than the PA. He admitted that Israel may face pressure as a result, but does not intend to give in. He also said that after the war there would be no civilian government in Gaza to educate local children to hate Israel, kill Israelis or destroy Israel, and to pay salaries to the families of murderers of Israelis.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas said on October 10 that Gaza is an integral part of Palestine, and that the PA will assume all responsibilities under the framework of a comprehensive political settlement that includes Gaza, the West Bank of the Jordan River and East Jerusalem. He also suggested that an international peace conference should be held after the Israeli-Hamas war to determine a specific timetable with the support of international guarantees.The PA once governed Gaza and the West Bank of the Jordan River, but was expelled from Gaza in 2007 after a brief civil war broke out with the Hamas.
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