T. Belman. Blinken is trying to leverage the Gaza War into the creation of a Palestinian State in Gaza and much of the West Bank and probably all of it. This is far from a done deal as the article reports and Netanyahu is adamantly against it.
Blinken informs counterparts that Cairo and Abu Dhabi are conditionally on board, as US seeks to recruit other allies before rolling out plans for ‘day-after’ management of Strip
By JACOB MAGID
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, front left, attends a meeting with Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Hussein al-Sheikh, during a day of meetings about the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas, in Amman, Jordan, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool photo via AP)
WASHINGTON — Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are prepared to participate in a postwar Gaza security force, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed counterparts during his recent visit to the region, three officials familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.
The US has been looking to recruit Arab allies for the initiative, as it readies to roll out its vision for the postwar management of Gaza, even though a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas terror group remains elusive.
During visits to Qatar, Egypt, Israel and Jordan two weeks ago, Blinken informed interlocutors that the US has made progress on the issue, receiving support from Cairo and Abu Dhabi for the creation of a force that would work alongside local Palestinian officers, according to an Arab official, a US official and a third source familiar with the matter.
The third source familiar with the matter said that Egypt is also demanding the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza — a condition likely to clash with Netanyahu’s pledge to maintain overall security control of the Strip after the war, with the ability to re-enter as necessary in order to prevent the revival of Hamas.
Meanwhile, the UAE has demanded US involvement in the postwar Gaza security force, an Arab official said.
Blinken told counterparts that the US would help establish and train the security force and ensure that it would have a temporary mandate, so that it could eventually be replaced by a fully Palestinian body, the third source said, adding that the goal is for the Palestinian Authority to eventually take over Gaza. Reuniting the Strip and the West Bank under a single governing entity is seen as an integral step toward an eventual two-state solution.
The secretary clarified, though, that the US would not be contributing troops of its own, the source said.
The officials speaking to The Times of Israel said the US is working on three concept notes on each of those issues, adding that Washington is hoping that Saudi Arabia will lead reconstruction efforts.
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