12/5/2023–|Last updated: 12/5/202305:28 AM (Mecca time)
High-level American officials revealed what they said were the features of US President Joe Biden’s administration’s post-war plan in the Gaza Strip.
The American newspaper Politico reported that officials in the White House, State Department, and other agencies, led by the White House Coordinator for Middle East Affairs, spent weeks formulating this plan, which includes increasing Washington’s security aid to the Palestinian Authority and granting a greater role to the American security coordinator in the region.
American officials indicated that there is a need for an international force to achieve stability immediately after the fighting stops, followed by the assumption of “renewed” Palestinian authority in the long term.
Politico also quoted a US State Department official as saying that the Palestinian Authority faces major challenges in terms of “legitimacy and capabilities,” as he put it.
The newspaper quoted a senior American official as saying that what remains unknown is the size of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) that will remain in Gaza after the war.
The official pointed out that despite the efforts made, the US administration was unable to push Israeli leaders towards a meaningful discussion of the shape of Gaza after the war, stressing that there is no talk of restricting US military aid as a means of pressure on Israel.
The American newspaper pointed out that although Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and others in the Biden administration announced that the “revitalized” Palestinian Authority should manage the Strip, they did not reveal the details of how this would be accomplished, and Tel Aviv expressed its opposition and ruled out the matter.
“Ultimately, we want to have a Palestinian security structure in Gaza after the conflict,” Politico quoted a senior Biden administration official as saying.
The White House did not issue official confirmation of the aforementioned plan.
Unlimited support
Although the Biden administration faces mounting internal opposition due to its support for the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, the US President has confirmed – more than once – his willingness to send more military resources to Israel.
Biden said – in his statements – that Washington stands by and supports Israel, and is ready to meet all of Tel Aviv’s needs necessary to “defend itself,” as he put it, including providing ammunition and missiles for Iron Dome.
On December 1, a humanitarian truce ended between the Palestinian resistance factions and Israel, which lasted for 7 days. It was concluded through Qatari mediation with Egyptian-American support, during which prisoners were exchanged and limited humanitarian aid was brought into the Strip, which is inhabited by about 2.3 million Palestinians.
Since last October 7, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, leaving 15,899 martyrs and more than 42,000 wounded, in addition to massive destruction in residential neighborhoods, vital facilities, and hospitals.
