Netanyahu Rejects U.S. Plan for Postwar Gaza

By WSJ
Posted on 12/12/23 | News Source: WSJ

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said he would block the Biden administration’s postwar plan to have the Palestinian Authority take over Gaza, the sharpest sign of Israeli pushback against the U.S. blueprint for administering the enclave after Israel’s invasion ends.

“After the great sacrifice of our civilians and our soldiers, I will not allow the entry into Gaza of those who educate for terrorism, support terrorism and finance terrorism,” Netanyahu said, referring to the Palestinian Authority, which currently oversees parts of the West Bank, in a statement Tuesday.

“I will not allow Israel to repeat the mistake of Oslo,” he added, referring to the 1993 agreement that established the Palestinian Authority and which Netanyahu has long criticized.

His comments underscored the sharpening split between Netanyahu and the White House over postwar plans and it raised questions about the viability of the U.S. plan to have the Palestinian Authority take over in Gaza from Hamas, the U.S.-designated terror group that has ruled the enclave and that Israel has vowed to destroy.

Netanyahu acknowledged “disagreement” between Israel and the U.S. over the role of the Palestinian Authoritysaying he hoped the U.S. and Israel could reach consensus on governing Gaza, just as they are in agreement on Israel’s goal of ousting Hamas. 

“Gaza will neither be Hamastan nor Fatahstan,” he added, referring to Hamas, whose attack on southern Israel launched the war, and to Fatah, the Palestinian faction that controls the Palestinian Authority.