Israeli and US officials met secretly in Abu Dhabi last week to discuss post-war governance in Gaza, according to an Axios report.
The meeting was attended by UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed and attended by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, and US President Joe Biden’s Mideast envoy Brett McGurk met last Thursday.
The plan discussed was similar to one proposed by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in January and rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, the fact that a meeting was convened last week may indicate that the prime minister may relax his previous refusal.
Lana Nusseibeh, the special envoy of bin Zayed, wrote in an op-ed in the Financial Times calling for the establishment of a “temporary international mission” in Gaza “that responds to the humanitarian crisis, establishes law and order, lays the groundwork for governance and paves the way to reuniting Gaza and the occupied West Bank under a single, legitimate Palestinian Authority.”
Gazans would have to agree to a new and independent prime minister and allow the international force to enter. Israel would be required to agree to allow the PA to govern Gaza as a step towards a Palestinian State.
Netanyahu has rejected any proposal that the PA could rule Gaza after the war, and the Knesset overwhelmingly voted for a measure precluding any proposal for a Palestinian State.
