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The White House announced on the 12th (local time) a principle of Palestinian self-determination, four non-negotiable declarations, and a driving principle for the future of the Gaza Strip after Israel’s crackdown on the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to the White House, said in an interview aired on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that “Ultimately, it’s up to the Palestinians to decide their future, who will govern them, and the U.S. will support that process.”
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◇ The White House Presents the Principle of Palestinian ‘Self-Determination’
The principle that Palestinians should autonomously decide the future of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip was proposed. This is interpreted as an extension of the ‘two-state solution,’ a vision of peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine, which U.S. President Joe Biden presented to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv last month.
John Kirby, the White House NSC Strategic Communications Coordinator, also said in an MSNBC interview, “What we support is a kind of long-term governance that includes the voices, votes, and self-determination of the Palestinians.”
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◇ White House National Security Advisor Sullivan Presents Four Non-Negotiable Principles for Gaza’s Future: No Recapture by Israel, No Forced Migration of Palestinians, No Use as a Future Terrorist Base, No Territorial Reduction
Sullivan also presented four non-negotiable principles that Secretary of State Tony Blinken had proposed last week, namely, no recapture by Israel, no forced migration of Palestinians, no use as a future terrorist base, and no territorial reduction.
◇ Sullivan: “We Want Palestinian Authority to Govern West Bank and Gaza”
Sullivan also reaffirmed that the Palestinian Authority should govern the Gaza Strip.
He said, “Secretary Blinken has said that ultimately, we want to see the West Bank and Gaza reconnected and controlled under Palestinian leadership,” and reminded that “the Palestinian Authority is the current leadership of the West Bank.”
This vision will likely require adjustments as Prime Minister Netanyahu has rejected it.
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◇ Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: “Neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority will be in Gaza… Overall security, indefinite responsibility”
Foreign Minister Cohen: “Considering transferring governance responsibility in Gaza to an international coalition or Gaza political leaders”
In response to questions about the governance of Gaza, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “Neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority will be there,” and that he would not give up security control under any circumstances. On the 6th, Netanyahu also said that he would “take indefinite responsibility for overall security in Gaza.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also said on the 7th that Israel would not govern Gaza after the war against Hamas but could station troops in Gaza if necessary and strictly control entry and exit. In other words, Israel will not govern Gaza but will continue to maintain security control.
A more detailed vision of the Israeli government can be found in the remarks of Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on the 7th, Cohen said that Israel has no intention of establishing a civilian government in Gaza and is considering transferring governance responsibility to an international coalition including the U.S., the EU, and many Islamic countries, or political leaders in Gaza.
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