Mr Netanyahu's plan envisages that post-war civil affairs in Gaza would be run by Palestinian officials without any connection to Hamas.
Destroyed houses in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
The plan also stipulated that, even after the war, the Israeli military would have “indefinite freedom” to operate throughout Gaza to prevent any resumption of terrorist activity. The plan was quickly rejected by the Palestinian Authority and drew criticism from the United States.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Washington had “always been clear with our Israeli counterparts” about what was needed in post-war Gaza. “The Palestinian people need a voice and a vote… through a revived Palestinian Authority,” he said.
“We do not want to see any forced displacement of Palestinians outside of Gaza and of course, we do not want to see Gaza dominated or ruled by Hamas,” Kirby said.
Asked about the plan during a visit to Argentina, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington opposed any “reoccupation” of Gaza after the war.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan dismissed Netanyahu's plan as unworkable. "When it comes to Gaza, Netanyahu is presenting ideas that he knows will never work," Hamdan told reporters in Beirut.
More than four months of fighting and shelling have flattened much of Gaza and pushed its population of about 2.4 million to the brink of famine as disease spreads, according to the United Nations.
“We have reached extreme poverty. Children are starving,” said Zarifa Hamad, 62, a displaced woman living in a camp in northern Gaza.
A United Nations report on Friday said “human rights violations” were committed by all parties in Israel and the Palestinian territories, and called for accountability and justice to promote peace.
Mai Van (according to Reuters, AFP, SCMP)
Source
Comment (0)