The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has agreed in principle this week to take responsibility for Gaza’s post-war management, according to reports in Israeli media.
The reports indicate that the UAE will oversee the reconstruction of the enclave and will neutralise any “potential threats” to Israel.
The UAE also asserted that the next move must come “from Palestinians”, rather than being initiated by Israel.
Israel’s strategic affairs minister, Ron Dermer, hinted in the Knesset this week that American or international involvement could accelerate plans for post-war Gaza.
“Any Israeli plan will die on arrival simply because it’s an Israeli initiative. We need to enlist the US and other regional forces to manage Gaza after the war, precisely within the framework established by the prime minister. Less talk, more action,” he said.
The latest developments come as the chairman of Israel’s Charedi Shas Party visited the UAE this week to further discuss what a post-war Gaza would look like.
Aryeh Deri met with the UAE’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister and discussed the UAE temporarily overseeing reconstruction, security and governance in Gaza in phase three of the ceasefire.
Earlier this month, the UAE entered discussions with the US and Israel about taking part in a provisional administration in post-war Gaza, until a “renewed Palestinian Authority is able to govern”.
An official said that Abu Dhabi would “not participate in any plan that fails to include significant reform of the Palestinian Authority, its empowerment, and the establishment of a credible roadmap toward a Palestinian state”.
In October, the Palestinian Authority said they could not accept any Emirati involvement in post-war Gaza.
“The Emirati plan reached us through American channels, and we rejected it through those same channels,” a high-ranking Palestinian official told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab’s Arabic edition at the time.
However, Qatar’s prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said in the Davos economic forum this week that he hoped to see the PA play a role in governing post-war Gaza.
“We hope to see the PA back in Gaza. We hope to see a government that will really address the issues of the people over there. And there is a long way to go with Gaza and the destruction,” he said.
Fragile ceasefire
Talks of a post-war Gaza come amid a fragile ceasefire and captive exchange deal between Israel and Gaza.
Hamas maintains that the truce is still in effect despite Israeli army “violations”.
The group’s leader in the West Bank, Zaher Jabarin, told The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, on Friday that they will hand over the names of four captives and receive a list of names of Palestinian prisoners to be freed.
He added that in two weeks, stage two of the ceasefire will start and should result in a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza as well as a full truce.
Jabarin slammed Israel’s assault on the West Bank, calling people there “defenceless”.
Newly inaugurated President Donald Trump said the Gaza ceasefire “should hold” this week, warning there “will be a lot of problems” if it does not.
Concerns have mounted in recent days, after an Israeli tank killed two Palestinians on Thursday, west of Rafah, despite a ceasefire being agreed.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 47,283 Palestinians and wounded at least 111,472 others since 7 October 2023. The war has levelled entire neighbourhoods and plunged the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis.
