by Khaled Abu Toameh
If Hamas is allowed to maintain a security presence in the Gaza Strip, this means that the new government and its members would be at the mercy of terrorists and militiamen who are already carrying out extrajudicial executions against their critics, political opponents and suspected "collaborators" with Israel.
According to a report by Israel's KAN News, Hamas has already selected half of the technocratic government's members, including figures sympathetic to the terror group, while the Palestinian Authority, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, chose the other half. Mediators, including Egypt, presented the full list to Hamas to ensure its approval, a move that will allow the terror group to maintain influence in the Gaza Strip after the war.
The terrorists who launched the war by committing the worst crime against Jews since the Holocaust and who brought death and destruction on their own people should not be allowed to have a say in the future governance of the coastal enclave.
If Hamas is allowed to maintain a security presence in the Gaza Strip, this means that the new government and its members would be at the mercy of terrorists and militiamen who are already carrying out extrajudicial executions against their critics, political opponents and suspected "collaborators" with Israel.
US President Donald J. Trump's plan for ending the war in the Gaza Strip states: "Hamas and other factions agreed to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form. Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza."
The factions that met in Cairo made no mention of an "international transitional body" or the proposed "Board of Peace" as outlined in Trump's plan.
Needless to say, the Palestinian factions pointedly ignored the part of Trump's plan that calls on the terror groups to lay down their weapons. Hamas leaders have repeatedly emphasized that their group has no intention to disarm before the establishment of an independent and sovereign state.
Fatah and Hamas, in short, do not want Trump's "Board of Peace" or any international body to play any role in the governance of the Gaza Strip. Each of the two factions wants the Gaza Strip to be ruled by its own loyalists, masquerading as "independent" and "apolitical" figures.
What we are currently witnessing is an attempt by both Fatah and Hamas, with the help of Egypt and Qatar (Hamas's main sponsor and funder), to circumvent the Trump plan.
Are Egypt and Qatar working to ensure Hamas's continued rule over the Gaza Strip by allowing the terror group to choose members of a new technocratic government?
Hamas has submitted a list of more than 40 "independent national figures" as potential candidates for forming a technocratic body to administer the Gaza Strip. Mohammed Nazzal, a senior Hamas official, told Qatar's Al-Jazeera TV network that the proposed technocratic government is intended to "enhance humanitarian governance and management in the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the war," which erupted on October 7, 2023 when the terror group and thousands of ordinary Palestinians invaded Israel, murdered more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, wounded thousands more, and kidnapped 251 people.
According to a report by Israel's KAN News, Hamas has already selected half of the technocratic government's members, including figures sympathetic to the terror group, while the Palestinian Authority, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, chose the other half. Mediators, including Egypt, presented the full list to Hamas to ensure its approval, a move that will allow the terror group to maintain influence in the Gaza Strip after the war.
"Hamas inserted about half of the technocratic government's composition, choosing individuals who support Hamas and its principles, even if not overtly and explicitly," according to the report. The Palestinian Authority, aware of Hamas's selections, agreed to this arrangement, reflecting a delicate balance of power.
On October 24, several Palestinian factions, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), announced that they have reached agreement on the formation of an "independent committee of technocrats" to run the Gaza Strip.
The announcement came after two days of discussions in Cairo under the auspices of Egypt's General Intelligence Service. The factions said that the committee would "manage the affairs of life and basic services in cooperation with Arab brothers and international institutions." A joint statement from the factions said they agreed to work on a common position "to confront the challenges facing the Palestinian cause."
The factions have yet to reveal the identities of the members of the proposed technocratic government. That Hamas and other terror groups are involved in the discussions over the formation of the new government in the Gaza Strip is problematic. The terrorists who launched the war by committing the worst crime against Jews since the Holocaust and who brought death and destruction on their own people should not be allowed to have a say in the future governance of the coastal enclave.
The talk about "independent" Palestinian figures being part of the technocratic government is laughable. If you are chosen by a terrorist group to serve as a member of government, that means you are affiliated, directly or indirectly, with that group, which views you as someone it can trust to prioritize its own interests. If Hamas is allowed to maintain a security presence in the Gaza Strip, this means that the new government and its members would be at the mercy of terrorists and militiamen who are already carrying out extrajudicial executions against their critics, political opponents and suspected "collaborators" with Israel.
Negotiating with Hamas and other terror groups over the future governance of the Gaza Strip grants them legitimacy and makes them appear as legitimate and acceptable players in the Palestinian arena.
US President Donald J. Trump's plan for ending the war in the Gaza Strip states:
"9. Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. This committee will be made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the 'Board of Peace,' which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of State to be announced, including Former [UK] Prime Minister Tony Blair...
"13. Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form..."
The factions that met in Cairo made no mention of an "international transitional body" or the proposed "Board of Peace" as outlined in Trump's plan. This suggests that they reject any international role in administering the Gaza Strip. For the factions, the international community's role should be limited to pouring billions of dollars on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip:
"An international committee will be established to oversee the financing and implementation of Gaza's reconstruction, while affirming the unity of the Palestinian political system and the independence of the national [Palestinian] decision."
The factions, in addition, are prepared to accept "temporary international forces" whose only goal is to "monitor the ceasefire."
Needless to say, the Palestinian factions pointedly ignored the part of Trump's plan that calls on the terror groups to lay down their weapons. Hamas leaders have repeatedly emphasized that their group has no intention to disarm before the establishment of an independent and sovereign state. Here is what the Trump plan says about this issue:
"There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning."
On October 10, Nazzal, the senior Hamas official, said on the UAE's Al-Mashhad TV that "the Hamas movement will never surrender its weapons." On October 17, Nazzal told Reuters that Hamas intends to maintain security control in the Gaza Strip during an interim period, adding he could not commit to the group disarming.
Mahmoud Abbas's ruling Fatah faction has also expressed opposition to international participation in the governance of the Gaza Strip. According to an October 25 report by the Palestinian Authority's official news agency, Wafa:
"In a press statement, Fatah... reiterated its categorical rejection of any form of guardianship or mandate over the Palestinian people, stressing that the role of any international peace committee should be limited to monitoring within a specific timeframe to ensure adherence to the ceasefire, oversee reconstruction, and implement agreed plans – without infringing on Palestinian independence or the authority of the State of Palestine."
Fatah also stressed that the proposed technocratic committee must operate "under the umbrella of the Government of the State of Palestine" and that "security in Gaza" should be under its control. This is the same as Hamas insisting on appointing its own candidates to the technocratic government and maintaining its security control over the Gaza Strip.
Fatah and Hamas, in short, do not want Trump's "Board of Peace" or any international body to play any role in the governance of the Gaza Strip. Each of the two factions wants the Gaza Strip to be ruled by its own loyalists, masquerading as "independent" and "apolitical" figures.
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a former resident of the Gaza Strip and respected Palestinian political analyst, commented:
"Now that they have given up the living [Israeli] hostages, the only bargaining chips that Hamas has is dominion and control over the two million Palestinians that are still living in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has achieved a high degree of terror and fear. Hamas has achieved deterrence effect, saying 'This is what's going to happen to you. Look, we spent two years underground; it's been two years of us fighting Israel, but at the end of the day we're still here, we're not going to disarm, we're not going anywhere, we're not accepting an international security force.'"
What we are currently witnessing is an attempt by both Fatah and Hamas, with the help of Egypt and Qatar (Hamas's main sponsor and funder), to circumvent the Trump plan. If Fatah and Hamas are allowed to have it their way, the Palestinian technocratic government would be the mother of all deceptions.
- Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22016/gaza-palestinians-technocratic-government
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