The United States (US) national security adviser and the Palestinian president on Friday (15/12) are scheduled to discuss post-war arrangements in Gaza — which, according to a senior US official, could include reinstating Palestinian security forces expelled by Hamas when the group took over the region in 2007.
The proposal, put forward as one of several, is the first specific indicator of Washington’s vision for security arrangements in Gaza if Israel achieves its US-backed goal of ending Hamas’ control over the besieged enclave.
Any role that Palestinian security forces have in Gaza will inevitably arouse strong opposition from Israel, which seeks to maintain its security forces’ presence there.
Israel has even said that it will not allow the internationally supported Palestinian Authority to gain a foothold there post-war. The Palestinian Authority is an autonomous government headquartered in the West Bank and led by President Mahmoud Abbas.
Palestinians gather around the Shehada family home destroyed following Israel’s bombardment of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on December 14, 2023. (Photo: AFP)
On Thursday, Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, spoke with Israeli leaders about a timetable for easing the intense fighting phase of the war.
The offensive, sparked by a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, has leveled much of northern Gaza and forced 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to flee. They fled to shelters, especially in the south, amid an escalating humanitarian crisis.
US President Joe Biden’s administration has expressed unease over Israel’s failure to reduce civilian casualties and its plans for Gaza’s future, but the White House continues to back Israel wholeheartedly with arms shipments and diplomatic support.
“I want them to focus on how to save civilian lives,” Biden said on Thursday when asked whether he wanted Israel to reduce the intensity of its operations by the end of this month. “Not to stop pursuing Hamas, but to be more careful.”
READ ALSO: White House: Palestine Must Decide Who Rules Gaza
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Sullivan spoke with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu about moving to “low-intensity operations” in the near future.
It is unclear to what extent the time scheduling differs between the US and Israel. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Sullivan that it would take months to destroy Hamas. However, Gallant did not say in his statement whether his estimate referred to the current phase of heavy fighting.
Gallant said this phase would be followed by lower intensity attacks to eradicate pockets of Hamas resistance.
Hamas’ deadly ambush of Israeli troops in Gaza City this week demonstrated the group’s resilience and raised questions about whether Israel can defeat it without wiping out the entire territory.
Israeli air and ground attacks over the past 10 weeks have killed more than 18,700 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. Thousands more are missing and feared dead under the rubble. [ab/uh]
2023-12-15 12:04:10
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