U.S. not waiting for Israel to begin talks on 'day after' scenario in Gaza - report
According to a Qatari media report, the White House is negotiating with Egypt and the Palestinian Authority on who will manage the Gaza Strip after the war ends
Washington is reportedly not waiting for a ceasefire to begin working on the "day after" scenario, and has begun talks with Egypt and the Palestinian Authority (PA) to outline the future of Gaza after the war ends.
According to the Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, an Egyptian delegation from the General Intelligence Service is visiting Ramallah on Thursday to meet with PA officials "to discuss issues related to the Gaza Strip and the nature of the Palestinian Authority’s possible role in Gaza in the future."
According to the report, American and Egyptian officials have already held "extensive discussions" regarding "the day after" and raised proposals regarding who would manage the Gaza Strip after the ceasefire.
The newspaper cited an American diplomat in Cairo saying the White House "has finally settled on the need for talks on the day after scenario after the war ends to go in parallel with the ceasefire negotiations."
The diplomat reportedly added: "The Biden administration is discussing the role of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and Hamas not being at the forefront of the scene the day after. Several scenarios are being studied at the moment, which differ in their details but share a single basis, namely that Hamas is not ruling over Gaza as it did previously."
As for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the diplomat was cited as saying, "The current authority headed by Mahmoud Abbas will not be useful for the steps and arrangements being discussed. There are attempts by Washington to persuade the PA to announce plans to renew the government and for its current president [Abbas] to become an honorary position."
Israel has been reticent to discuss its vision for the "day after" scenario, amid discord within the government over what that would look like. Some Israeli ministers calling for full Israeli military and civilian control over the Gaza Strip. Israel has also insisted it is not yet ready to discuss its terms for ending the war in Gaza, as ceasefire negotiations are currently focused on a U.S. proposal presented a week ago.
According to a report from Saudi channel A-Sharq on Wednesday night, Hamas has reportedly rejected an Israeli proposal for a ceasefire and hostage deal, claiming significant discrepancies between the proposal and statements made by U.S. President Joe Biden.
The channel reportedly obtained a memorandum issued by Hamas that highlighted its commitment to the principles laid out by President Biden, while rejecting the Israeli proposal which it says offers only a temporary ceasefire rather than a permanent one, and includes conditions that would allow Israeli forces to remain inside Gaza.
According to the report, Hamas is pressing for Israel to agree to the principles of the U.S. proposal as a precondition for moving forward with negotiations.