By New York Post (World News) | Created at 2025-01-22 19:25:07 | Updated at 2025-01-22 22:05:06
2 hours ago
Israeli officials attempted to downplay reports of the Palestinian Authority’s role in Gaza and the possibility of a two-state solution that would help normalize relations with Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the PA on Wednesday of attempting to “create a false picture” following reports that the West Bank governors were tapped to supervise the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the Times of Israel reports.
While Netanyahu’s office tried to downplay the PA’s role, his office admitted that the group would be managing the crossing under international supervision, as per the latest negotiations in the cease-fire agreement.
The PA, which once ruled Gaza before being ousted by Hamas in 2006, will be in charge of managing the crossing during the temporary truce, handling immigration in and out of the southern border.
The Prime Minister’s Office, however, said that the Israeli military will have the final say on all movements in the border, stressing that “nobody passes through it without supervision, oversight and advance approval of the IDF and Shin Bet.”
The Jewish state has long accused Hamas of using the southern border to smuggle weapons, fighters and political leaders in-and-out of Gaza, with several terror tunnels uncovered near the border during the 15-month-long war campaign.
Netanyahu’s statements are his latest attempts at trying to distance the PA from Gaza, with Israel rejecting the US and other allies’ urging that the group be propped as the next leaders of the Palestinian enclave to replace Hamas.
Without a proper replacement for Hamas, the terror group has returned as the de facto leaders of Gaza, touting to the world that they survived the war and that Israel failed in its goal to destroy them.
Israel Foreign Minister Gideon Saar became the latest high-ranking official to suggest Israel was finally open to allowing the PA to return to Gaza on Monday, but only if it underwent serious reforms.
Former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, who was fired last year over differences with Netanyahu in the war effort, previously advised Israeli leaders that the PA was their best alternative to Hamas
Along with downplaying the PA’s role in Gaza, Jewish state officials also refuted reports that they were open to a two-state solution as part of a deal with Saudi Arabia to normalize Arab-Israeli relations.
Reports of the alleged concession came following Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s speech at the Davos conference in Switzerland, where he claimed diplomatic talks had resumed between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia, a key influencer in the Middle East, has long called on Israel to embrace a two-state solution, with the issue constantly featured in diplomatic talks between the two countries.
Netanyahu, however, has remained firmly opposed to the formation of a Palestinian state, with the Knesset voting overwhelmingly last year to pass a resolution against a two-state solution last summer.
