Netanyahu seeks open-ended control over security and civilian affairs in Gaza

24/2/2024 10:19

        A long-awaited postwar plan by Israel's prime minister shows that his government seeks open-ended control over security and civilian affairs in the Gaza Strip.
        That was swiftly rejected Friday by Palestinian leaders and runs counter to Washington’s vision for the war-ravaged enclave.
        
        Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the two-page document to his security Cabinet late Thursday for approval.
        
        Deep disagreements over Gaza’s future have led to increasingly public friction between Israel and the United States, its closest ally.
        
        The Biden administration seeks eventual Palestinian governance in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a precursor to Palestinian statehood, an outcome vehemently opposed by Netanyahu and his right-wing government.
        
        Netanyahu’s plan envisions hand-picked Palestinians administering Gaza.
        
        Separately, cease-fire efforts appeared to gain traction, with mediators to present a new proposal at an expected high-level meeting this weekend in Paris.
        
        The U.S., Egypt and Qatar have been struggling for weeks to find a formula that could halt Israel’s devastating offensive in Gaza, but now face an unofficial deadline as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaches.