Netanyahu Proposes Full Reoccupation of Gaza and Removal of UNRWA
The plan by the Israeli Prime Minister grants civilian administration to experienced local officials with no affiliation to Hamas or the Palestinian Authority
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested in a proposal presented to the “Cabinet” entitled “The Day After Hamas in Gaza,” full and unlimited Israeli security control over Gaza and the closure of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in what he described as a hardline stance, which will pose an obstacle to hostage release negotiations.
The proposal excludes the Palestinian Authority, stating that “civil administration and responsibility for public order in the Gaza Strip will, as much as possible, be entrusted to experienced local officials,” provided that “the funding and management of the rehabilitation plan will be provided by countries acceptable to Israel.”
The office of the Israeli Prime Minister stated in a Friday statement that “Netanyahu presented his proposal on the day after Hamas for approval by the Political and Security Cabinet,” adding that “the principles document issued by the Prime Minister reflects broad popular support for the goals of the war and for the civilian alternative to Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip.”
It continued by saying, “The Prime Minister’s document has been distributed to all Cabinet members as a basis for discussion ahead of further discussions on this topic.”
According to the proposal, “Israel will maintain its freedom of action throughout the Gaza Strip, without a time limit, in order to prevent any resurgence of terrorism and to counter future threats from Gaza,” stating that “the security zone that will be established in the Gaza Strip, adjacent to Israel, will remain in place as long as there is a security need for it.”
It added, “Israel will maintain the ‘southern closure’ along the border between Gaza and Egypt, in order to prevent the rearming of armed elements in the sector.
The southern closure, to the extent possible, will be implemented in cooperation with Egypt and with the assistance of the United States, and will rely on measures to prevent smuggling from Egypt, both underground and above ground, including through the Rafah crossing,” according to the proposal, adding that “Israel will have full security control over the entire area west of the Jordan.”
It stated that “the Gaza Strip will be stripped of any military capability completely beyond what is required for public order needs,” adding that “the responsibility for achieving this goal and overseeing its implementation in the future rests with Israel.”
On the civilian side, it indicated that “civilian administration and responsibility for public order in the Gaza Strip, as much as possible, will be entrusted to experienced local officials, and these local entities will not be linked to countries or entities that support terrorism and will not receive any funding from them.”
It added, “Israel will work to close UNRWA, whose members participated in the massacre of October 7th, and whose schools teach terrorism and the destruction of Israel.
Israel will also work to halt the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in the Gaza Strip and replace it with responsible international aid agencies,” according to the proposal document.
Since January 26th, several countries, including the United States and the European Union, have suspended their funding to UNRWA, based on Israel’s allegations that 12 agency staff members participated in the October 7th attack on Israeli settlements near Gaza.
Regarding the funding and management of the rehabilitation plan in the sector, the proposal stated that it “will be provided by countries acceptable to Israel,” without naming them, stating that “Israel categorically rejects international dictates regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians. Such an arrangement will only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties, without preconditions,” adding that “Israel will continue to oppose unilateral recognition of the Palestinian state.”
The Israeli parliament voted on Wednesday in favor of the government’s decision to reject unilateral recognition of the Palestinian state, prompting criticism from the Hamas movement and the Palestinian Authority.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Netanyahu‘s plan for the day after the war on Gaza as “official recognition of the reoccupation of the strip” in a statement from the Foreign Ministry.
The ministry strongly rejected “what the Israeli media called Netanyahu‘s principles for the day after the war,” considering them “official recognition of the reoccupation of the Gaza Strip and the imposition of Israeli control,” according to the statement.
The ministry described it as “a plan to prolong the war of extermination against the Palestinian people and an attempt to gain more time to implement the displacement plan.”
It said, “It is an open maneuver to thwart and sabotage American and international efforts to link ceasefire arrangements, the release of prisoners and hostages, to conflict resolution and the realization of the Palestinian state on the ground,” according to the same statement.
Israel occupied the Gaza Strip in 1967, and in 2005, it unilaterally withdrew from it in what was known as the “disengagement.”
The “disengagement plan” was implemented on August 15, 2005, involving the evacuation of all settlers from the Gaza Strip to Israeli territory.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered that “Netanyahu‘s principles explain his hostility and exclusion of the legitimate Palestinian authority, and reveal the true nature of his opposition to the Palestinian state and political solutions to the conflict, and his choice of wars and violence to prolong his existence and right to rule.”
The ministry called on the US administration and Western countries “to quickly recognize the Palestinian state and support its full membership in the United Nations, and to begin international arrangements for a peace conference that will end the occupation.”
