US considering a 'prominent' role in post-war Gaza's reconstruction & administration: Report

The United States is considering having a “prominent” role in the Gaza Strip after the war between Israel and Hamas is over, according to a report.

The report comes at a time when there are increased discussions about the post-war reconstruction and administration of Gaza, with the US and much of the international community pressing for Palestinian involvement, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies rejecting such calls.

Politico has reported that the Joe Biden administration of the US is considering having an American advisor involved in post-war future of Gaza along with a peacekeeping force with participation from Arab countries.

The rehabilitation of around 2.2 million Palestinians, most of whom have been displaced by the war, will be part of the advisor’s mandate, as per the report.

US advisor could be based in Sinai or Jordon: Report

The US advisor would be based in the Middle East, but not inside Gaza, according to the report.

The advisor could be based in the Sinai region of Egypt or Jordan and will work closely with the commanding officer (CO) of the peacekeeping force, as per the report. The CO is expected to be either a Palestinian or a non-Palestinian Arab officer.

While discussions about the scope of the advisor’s mandate are going on between the White House and Departments of Defense and State, the officials who spoke to the magazine have said the US would play a “prominent” role in post-war Gaza for sure.

The US is concerned that if security is not ensured in post-war Gaza, insurgency could take over the Palestinian enclave.

“We have talked about a number of different formulas for some kind of interim security forces in Gaza and we have talked to a lot of partners about how the United States could support that with all of our capabilities from outside Gaza,” a senior administration official was quoted as saying in the report.

For any such post-war plan, however, officials quoted in the report said that ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas must happen first.

While the make-up and the powers of any peacekeeping force in Gaza have not been finalised, the Biden administration is trying to convince Arab countries of Egypt, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to join the force, according to the report.

Concerns of no post-Gaza plan by Israel

There are concerns that Israel does not have a post-war plan for Gaza.

There have been voices from amongst Netanyahu’s War Cabinet about such a situation. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and War Cabinet Minister Banny Gantz have both called out Netanyahu for the lack of such plan. While Gallant has rejected any Israeli settlements or civilian or military control of Gaza, Gantz has given Netanyahu an ultimatum until June 8 to furnish a plan or he will leave the War Cabinet.

The US has long said that the Palestinian Authority (PA), the de facto Palestinian administration based at Ramallah that partially governs the West Bank, should be reformed and revitalised in order to take over post-war Gaza. There have also been proposals of a Palestinian Council of sorts from non-Hamas Palestinian groups with Gaza as well. Netanyahu has, however, rejected calls for PA to be involved in Gaza’s governance.