Topline
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused on Sunday to endorse calls from world leaders—including U.S. officials—for the Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza after the war ends, reiterating his stance that the Palestinian Authority has failed to tamp down on terrorism in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in the Kirya military … [+]
Key Facts
Netanyahu vowed to “destroy Hamas” then establish an “overriding and overreaching Israeli military envelope” in Gaza to prevent terrorism from bubbling up: “any place that we leave . . . very soon terrorism resurges, so we’ve achieved nothing,” he said on CNN’s State of the Union.
Netanyahu made the statement when asked to clarify what he meant a day earlier, when he said at a press conference that Israel will maintain “overall security control, including the capacity to go in whenever we want to eliminate terrorists.”
The Israeli prime minister said Sunday the Palestinian Authority has “failed” to “demilitarize” and “deradicalize Gaza” adding “the Palestinian Authority was already in Gaza” and “Hamas took over and kicked them out,” he said, referring to Hamas’ 2007 takeover of Gaza.
Netanyahu also told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday a “different authority” should govern Gaza, but declined to elaborate.
The viewpoint contradicts those of U.S. officials, along with a coalition of Arab and European countries: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week there must be “Palestinian-led governance and Gaza unified with the West Bank under Palestinian Authority” once the war ends.
Tangent
Netanyahu also told NBC on Sunday there “could be” a deal to release hostages, but did not specify a timeline and declined to elaborate on details. “I think the less I say about it, the more I’ll increase the chances that it materializes,” he said. Hamas killed approximately 1,400 Israelis and took about 240 people hostage, including some Americans, when it invaded Israel on October 7.
Key Background
Netanyahu drew widespread pushback when he said Monday that Israel will have indefinite “security responsibility” over Gaza after the war. Israel took control of the Gaza Strip from Egypt in 1967, and has maintained a military blockade surrounding the 140-square-mile territory since Hamas’ takeover in 2007 that Israeli authorities had said is designed to prevent a terrorist invasion. More than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began on October 7, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, prompting U.S. officials—who have vowed staunch support for Israel—to become more vocal about the need to spare civilian lives. Israel on Thursday agreed to pause its counterattacks for four hours each day to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid and civilians to safely exit Gaza, but Netanyahu has resisted calls for an indefinite ceasefire.
Further Reading
Here’s What Israeli And U.S. Officials Have Said About Post-War Gaza (Forbes)
Israeli Forces Close In On Gaza’s Hospitals, And Claim They Hide Hamas’ Tunnels — Here’s What To Know (Forbes)
More Than 100 UN Employees Killed In Gaza, As Death Toll Climbs (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/11/12/netanyahu-hints-at-possible-hostage-deal-and-wont-commit-to-letting-palestinians-ever-govern-gaza/