Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel would not support a Palestinian Authority-led government in Gaza after it ended a war to destroy Hamas in the territory, defying U.S. pressure
The Biden administration has repeatedly stressed that Israel should not “reoccupy” Gaza at the end of the conflict, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying this week that the Palestinian Authority – which runs the government in the West Bank – should take control.
Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel would retain “overall security control” in Gaza, “including the ability to intervene there whenever we want to eliminate terrorists who may re-emerge.”
“I’ll tell you what won’t be. “There will be no Hamas,” he said. “Nor will there be a civil authority that educates its children to hate Israel, kill Israelis and destroy the State of Israel.” There can be no authority that pays the families of murderers [amounts] based on the number they murdered.”
“There can be no authority whose leader has still not condemned the terrible massacre 30 days later,” he continued, referring to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. “That can’t be.”
Netanyahu’s comments in recent days about “indefinite” military control of Gaza after the war have sparked concern in Washington, as Americans fear a new occupation could destabilize the Middle East.
Israel had previously occupied the Gaza Strip from 1967 to 1996 and subsequently imposed strict restrictions on the territory across its borders, leading some scholars to believe that the occupation was never ended.
In a conversation with the Omani Sultan on Friday, President Biden emphasized the importance of an independent Palestinian government and state and underscored that this outcome is a central part of the administration’s Middle East strategy.
Netanyahu did not name a proposal for a new postwar government in Gaza, implying that Israeli control of the territory represents a red line in U.S.-Israeli relations.
“There must be something else. But definitely we have to have a security check,” he said. “I insist. There may be pressure on this matter. I have no intention of giving in.”
The Israeli military is in the midst of a ground invasion of the northern Gaza Strip amid its war with Hamas and has surrounded Gaza City, the largest settlement.
According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza, the war has killed an estimated 11,000 Palestinians, including over 4,000 children.
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