Abbas Eyes Gaza Visit; Experts See ‘Zero Chance’ for PA Control
Palestinian lecturer tells TML: Israel’s military control will persist in Gaza, causing ‘just more suffering’ for Palestinians
By Giorgia Valente/The Media LineThe Media Line
The Palestinian Authority (PA) submitted an official request to Israel on Sunday to allow PA President Mahmoud Abbas to visit the Gaza Strip, according to reports from Israel’s Walla on Monday night. This move comes in the wake of a breakdown in talks between Israel and Hamas to end the ongoing hostilities, followed by a terrorist attack in Tel Aviv claimed by both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.
Abbas has previously signaled intentions to have the PA govern Gaza post-conflict. However, this prospect has been met with skepticism.
“This is pathetic,” Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the INSS and Misgav Institute, told The Media Line. “Not only Israel but also the Palestinian people do not trust Abbas to rule Gaza since Al Fatah is not even capable of taking care of the West Bank right now.”
“Israel may maintain a temporary military presence in the Strip to ensure that Hamas won’t pose a threat anymore and to monitor the humanitarian aid coming in,” Michael continued, “But the ruling must be in the hands of a ‘revitalized’ PA, with an international involvement as well.”
However, according to Ghassan Khatib, a lecturer at Birzeit University and member of the Palestinian People’s Party, the PA has “zero chance” to govern the Gaza Strip.
“Israel, with its current government, has been delegitimizing in every way possible the PA as well as Hamas,” Khatib added. “Israel has the tendency to occupy Palestinian land, so it will have permanent control militarily both in the West Bank and in Gaza. There won’t be ‘a day after,’ but just more suffering inflicted on the Palestinians.”
Doubt regarding the PA’s capacity to govern post-conflict Gaza comes amid a resurgence of violence and political uncertainty, which includes an uptick in settler violence in the West Bank and Gaza’s death toll surpassing 40,000 people, according to Hamas-run health officials. Meanwhile, both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad affirmed that Sunday’s terror attack in Tel Aviv was only one of several planned attacks, asserting that these would continue until “Israel won’t stop its massacres, displacement of civilians, and policy of assassinations.”
The recent discussions in Doha on August 16 aimed to bridge the gap between Hamas and Israel with a “bridging plan” presented by US, Qatar, and Egypt mediators. However, Hamas refused to participate directly in talks and met separately with Qatari and Egyptian mediators. Their refusal hinged on the demand for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed gratitude towards the US for its support in regional defense and its efforts to secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Simultaneously, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hosted Blinken at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, discussing the ongoing security challenges in the Middle East. Gallant stressed Israel’s commitment to continue operations in Gaza until the dual objectives of returning the hostages and dismantling Hamas are achieved.
“I had a good and important meeting today with Secretary of State Blinken,” Netanyahu stated, appreciating the US’s understanding of Israel’s security needs in the ongoing conflict. He emphasized the importance of releasing “a maximum number of living hostages—already in the first stage of the deal.”
This comes after Netanyahu’s response to the cease-fire stalemate in which he claimed that Hamas has presented “unrealistic terms” regarding the number of Israeli hostages to be released and the control of strategic locations such as the Philadelphi corridor and Rafah crossing.
Michael told The Media Line that the crossings were the “main issue” that led to the failure, noting: “They were two main Hamas channels to smuggle weapons through tunnels. Hamas wants to gain back control of these strategic spots, but Israel must not allow it.”
“Another obstacle is related to the number of hostages,” he continued. “Israel wants back as many as possible, but of course, Hamas doesn’t since the captives are their only leverage left. At the same time, Israel wants to have a veto on the Palestinian prisoners that may be released in order not to allow them to return to terrorism anymore, especially in the West Bank.”
Khatib commented on the broader implications of the ongoing stalemate: “I think that the talks will remain in an impasse if the fighting on the ground is in a kind of stalemate.”
“Hamas clearly showed from the beginning that despite the high death toll, this won’t be a determining factor to halt anything, so this truce wouldn’t have changed anything,” Khatib continued. “Despite destruction and killings, Israel is not reaching its main goals on the ground, which are the return of the hostages and the end of Hamas. Until these are accomplished, there won’t be a deal at all.”
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