Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has finally unveiled Israel’s plans for Gaza after hostilities ended in the enclave, submitting to his war cabinet a formal proposal that directly contradicts the objectives of the US.
The one-page document, released overnight by his office, makes no mention of any role for the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank-based opponents of Hamas that the US administration wants to see take over control, and rejects unilateral international steps towards recognition of a Palestinian state.
Netanyahu’s proposition also foresees a sizeable security buffer within the besieged enclave, an outcome the US opposes.
Appealing to his domestic rightwing political base, the document entitled “The Day After Hamas Principles” is the first official distillation of Netanyahu’s prior statements on the issue.
Dividing Gaza’s future into near, medium and long-term phases, the document makes clear that Israel will continue its long-running blockade of the territory, and intends to remain involved in civilian issues, from how the local police operate and what the schools and mosques teach in the predominantly Sunni Muslim territory.
In practice, it could see a full-scale resumption of Israel’s control of the enclave and its 2.3mn population, combining elements of its decades-long occupation with the punishing blockade that was instituted two years after the 2005 disengagement, when the Israeli military pulled out of Gaza.
In the medium term, Israel will build a “security area” within the Gaza Strip, running along its entire border. It also intends to build an over- and underground “security flank” or barrier along its border with Egypt to prevent weapons smuggling, and enforce land, sea and air control over the strip, the document said.
