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A new postwar plan floated by Israel’s defence minister has laid bare the divisions in PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over “the day after” fighting in Gaza ends. The proposal by defence minister Yoav Gallant, a moderate member of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, was widely seen as a trial balloon, but it showed the pressure the PM was facing as Washington and others press for a shift to a less intense phase of the war.
The Biden administration wants Israel to plan for “the day after”, meaning how Gaza will be governed when fighting ends, though analysts say that to keep his far-right allies from leaving his governing coalition, Netanyahu has delayed any serious domestic discussion.
Gallant’s proposal shared Thursday at a meeting of the security cabinet is predicated on the military defeat of Hamas. It calls for maintaining Israel’s military control of Gaza’s borders, while a “multinational task force” oversees reconstruction and economic development in the territory. Under his plan, Gazan Palestinians who don’t have ties to Hamas would administer civilian affairs in the Gaza Strip, according to details of the cabinet meeting leaked to Israeli media. But there would be no role for the Palestinian Authority that runs the occupied West Bank, and there would be no resettlement of Israelis in Gaza.
Gallant’s proposal appeared to be an effort to stake out middle ground. It rules out involvement of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises authority in parts of the West Bank, in administering Gaza after the war. The Biden administration has called for the authority to play a postwar role in the territory, viewing it as a path toward a two-state solution that would create a Palestinian state consisting of both Gaza and the West Bank, which many politicians on the Israeli right oppose. But the Gallant plan also rules out resettling Gaza with Israelis, an idea that far-right Israelis espouse. In recent days, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, have advanced the idea of encouraging Gazans to voluntarily emigrate to countries willing to grant them entry. The US had sharply rebuked the ministers’ comments.
In a Facebook post, Smotrich criticised Gallant’s plan, suggesting it risked a repeat of the Hamas attacks, and reiterating his call for “voluntary emigration” of Gazans. The Israeli media described the Thursday meeting as stormy.
Netanyahu’s governing coalition holds only a fragile majority, with 64 seats in the 120-seat parliament. With his popularity at a new low, Netanyahu must keep his coalition together in bid to stay in office.
The Biden administration wants Israel to plan for “the day after”, meaning how Gaza will be governed when fighting ends, though analysts say that to keep his far-right allies from leaving his governing coalition, Netanyahu has delayed any serious domestic discussion.
Gallant’s proposal shared Thursday at a meeting of the security cabinet is predicated on the military defeat of Hamas. It calls for maintaining Israel’s military control of Gaza’s borders, while a “multinational task force” oversees reconstruction and economic development in the territory. Under his plan, Gazan Palestinians who don’t have ties to Hamas would administer civilian affairs in the Gaza Strip, according to details of the cabinet meeting leaked to Israeli media. But there would be no role for the Palestinian Authority that runs the occupied West Bank, and there would be no resettlement of Israelis in Gaza.
Gallant’s proposal appeared to be an effort to stake out middle ground. It rules out involvement of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises authority in parts of the West Bank, in administering Gaza after the war. The Biden administration has called for the authority to play a postwar role in the territory, viewing it as a path toward a two-state solution that would create a Palestinian state consisting of both Gaza and the West Bank, which many politicians on the Israeli right oppose. But the Gallant plan also rules out resettling Gaza with Israelis, an idea that far-right Israelis espouse. In recent days, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, have advanced the idea of encouraging Gazans to voluntarily emigrate to countries willing to grant them entry. The US had sharply rebuked the ministers’ comments.
In a Facebook post, Smotrich criticised Gallant’s plan, suggesting it risked a repeat of the Hamas attacks, and reiterating his call for “voluntary emigration” of Gazans. The Israeli media described the Thursday meeting as stormy.
Netanyahu’s governing coalition holds only a fragile majority, with 64 seats in the 120-seat parliament. With his popularity at a new low, Netanyahu must keep his coalition together in bid to stay in office.
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