Steve Hendricks wrote in the American newspaper “The Washington Post” under the title, “Netanyahu presents a hard-line vision for the post-war phase in Gaza.” Hendricks considered that “for the first time, Netanyahu officially presents his vision of what the situation will be like in the Gaza Strip after the end of the war.”

Hendricks, who is currently in Jerusalem for media coverage, added that for months, “Netanyahu has largely prevented speaking before public opinion about two matters that are prohibited from his point of view. 

The first relates to the responsibility he bears for the security gaps that led to the Hamas attacks on October 7.” /October, and the second revolves around who will rule the Gaza Strip when the fighting ends.”

The writer saw that with regard to the first question, Netanyahu continues to divert attention, but he finally spoke about the second matter through a proposal that he submitted to the Security Ministerial Council, and it was published publicly, and his office said that the proposed broad lines are intended to be a starting point for further discussions.

The writer notes, “This development came after Netanyahu’s meeting on Thursday with White House envoy Brett McGurk, and at a time when momentum appears to be growing in the Paris-based talks toward a possible ceasefire and an agreement to release detainees held by Hamas.”

The writer believes that the proposal presented by Netanyahu largely reflects what he said publicly, especially in terms of his assertion that the Israeli army will remain in Gaza as long as it is necessary to disarm the Strip, eliminate Hamas, and prevent it from regrouping its ranks. Israel will also assume greater control over the southern border of Gaza, in cooperation with Egypt “as much as possible,” will establish buffer zones on the border to prevent smuggling and ensure no further attacks.

The writer refers to the rest of the issues that Netanyahu aspires to, including “dissolving and replacing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza and the West Bank, which Israel accuses of colluding with Hamas and promoting hatred for Jews.”

Netanyahu's proposed vision also rejects any permanent agreement with the Palestinians that is not achieved through direct negotiations with Israel, as well as any unilateral Palestinian state.

Steve Hendricks believes that there are many obstacles preventing Netanyahu's vision from being achieved, some of them internal and others external. The opposition in Israel was quick to reject these broad outlines as a comprehensive summary of the ideas that were rejected by the international community and Israel's most important supporters.

Also, given Egypt’s rejection of any Israeli security role on its border with Gaza, and the Palestinian Authority’s assertion that the broad lines proposed by Netanyahu are “unacceptable.” 

(BBC)