Palestinian Authority seeks post-war Gaza role despite US plan
Mahmoud Abbas(L) and Mohamed Mustafa(R), key figures of Palestinian Authority via Reuters
The Palestinian Authority (PA) is pushing to play a major role in governing post-war Gaza, even though Trump’s proposal minimizes their authority as per Israel’s wishes, according to the Arab Weekly via Reuters. The US-backed 20-point plan envisions an interim governing system rather than handing over governance to the Palestinian Authority.
The PA is staking its claim to Gaza’s governance after having played an important role in maintaining institutional and financial ties with the enclave following Hamas’s takeover, including paying public sector workers’ salaries and sustaining essential services such as education and electricity supply.
However, the PA is seemingly unpopular amongst Palestinians for not being able to secure a Palestinian statehood and failing to hold a democratic election. The PA is widely viewed as corrupt, and after the last elections in 2006, Hamas — who won the vote — took control of the Gaza enclave.
Gaza’s governance emerges as a key issue after the ceasefire, which is meant to be the first step towards Trump’s peace proposal. An alternative solution, which Saudi Arabia and France proposed, gives the PA a more direct role in Gaza with international oversight. Many Arab countries, including Egypt, Qatar, and Jordan, are backing this proposal, as they see a stabilisation mission under the PA, vital for self-governance.
Israel is opposed to the PA having a strong governing role in Gaza, fearing that it may lead to a renewed Palestinian unity between Gaza and the West Bank, challenging its interests.
Prime Minister Mohamed Mustafa — a former World Bank official who previously headed the Palestinians’ sovereign wealth fund- has been working on Gaza’s reconstruction plans since assuming office 18 months ago.
According to updated World Bank figures, rebuilding Gaza is now estimated to cost $80 billion, up from $53 billion last October. That amount is roughly four times the combined GDP of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2022, the bank noted.
Backed by Egypt, Mustafa has scheduled a reconstruction conference to be held one month after the ceasefire. In Egypt, the training of 5,500 personnel for a Palestinian police force is already underway, the goal being to train at least 10,000 people.
Hamas has indicated conditional support for the Palestinian Authority, given that they are a reference for an interim administration, preferably over foreign powers.
The PA has accepted the reforms that are required by Trump’s proposal; in its transparency and governance, except if it becomes a pretext to exclude the PA from statehood or from governing. They have also rejected recognising Israel as a “Jewish State.”
The PA also claims to make progress on reforms demanded in Trump’s plan, such as of school curricula; which Netanyahu claims teach children “to hate Jews and destroy the Jewish state”. And changes to payments made by the PA- like payments to families of Palestinians killed or jailed — all seen by some as political red lines.
The Arab Weekly, Reuters, Maghrebi.org
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