US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said today (Wednesday) that the United States believes that there will be a “transitional period” during which Israeli forces will remain in the Gaza Strip after the end of combat operations against the Hamas movement, but he stressed that this period should not Be permanent.

CNN quoted Miller as saying in a press conference: “It would not be in anyone’s interest for Israel to leave the Gaza Strip, leaving a security vacuum that could lead to the spread of chaos.”

He continued: “We realize that there will be a need for a transitional period at the end of the war,” but he stressed that the United States will not accept Israel’s reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, or the establishment of a buffer zone inside Gaza, indicating that this violates the principle of not depriving territories.

An informed source had told the Arab World News Agency that Palestinian leaders in decision-making circles in Ramallah are discussing the future of the Gaza Strip, as they are seriously considering the US administration’s hints about a “renewed Palestinian authority” ruling the Strip in the post-Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. The source close to the decision-making circles in the Palestinian Authority said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas opposes the term “renewable authority,” but at the same time he does not oppose carrying out reforms in the authority that meet international standards and requirements.