by Corrine Baum
Multiple Arab nations argue that dividing Gaza would lead to a full Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip, and are unlikely to commit troops to be a part of the peacekeeping for under those terms.
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The US and Israel are considering dividing Gaza into separate zones controlled by the IDF and Hamas, with reconstruction measures only occurring in the Israeli-controlled areas as a way to ensure Hamas disarms, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
The plan has reportedly alarmed Arab negotiators, though the WSJ noted it had repeatedly come up in peace talks.
Multiple Arab nations argue that dividing Gaza would lead to a full Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip, and are unlikely to commit troops to be a part of the peacekeeping for under those terms.
A senior US administration official told the WSJ that the plan was preliminary and that more information would be coming out in the coming days.
The US-backed Gaza plan proposed an international peace force to provide security in the Strip, but the details are not fully worked out.
Arab nations unlikely to provide troops if Gaza divided
Arab nations believe that the Palestinian Authority should run Gaza and the peacekeeping force, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly opposes this.A royal source from the UAE told N12 News that the Emiratis were uninterested in contributing troops to the peace force without involvement from a Palestinian body.
“The Americans are trying to persuade Saudi Arabia and the Emirates to become involved in managing Gaza, and we are refusing. We want involvement from the Palestinian Authority. Without it, Riyadh refuses and will not intervene, neither directly nor indirectly.”
"We sensed a deep lack of understanding within the American administration regarding the society inside Gaza," the source added. “Witkoff was persuaded by our words and admitted that there is no solution for Gaza other than the Palestinian Authority entering there, but that’s what Netanyahu doesn’t want.”
The plan Kushner is backing would see Israel slowly build up control in areas of Gaza beyond the yellow line to undermine Hamas, Tel Aviv-based researchers told the WSJ.
White House officials told the American outlet that Jared Kushner is the driving force behind the plan, alongside US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have reportedly approved the plan.
“Kushner raised the issue and was immediately rejected. Witkoff changed the subject to what concerns us, which is the mutual defense agreement with the US and the nuclear energy program for peaceful purposes near Neom. Arrangements for that are currently being made through direct channels with Washington," the Emirati source told N12.
Some officials briefed on the plan noted to the WSJ that the plan needs more concrete answers to questions to be viable, such as how to provide social services to Palestinians who choose to relocate to the proposed IDF-controlled portion of Gaza.
According to officials, the Trump administration is also considering rebuilding areas that Hamas had not controlled in hopes that it would improve conditions for Gazans and serve as a symbol of a future without Hamas.
There was also concern about how to ensure that Hamas terrorists don’t enter the Israeli-controlled side and attack from within. US officials said that one option to prevent this was a vetting system controlled by IDF troops.
Some mediators accused the US administration of trying to buy time while figuring out how to govern a post-war Gaza.
“We want to help, but it’s important to understand that we need a broader, long-term picture that guarantees we will truly see a Palestinian state,” Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, told N12.
“A pause and a return to the pre-October 6 situation will not help anyone. We must look at what happened, which was an earthquake, and act from there.”
The WSJ report said that the Trump administration’s priority is ensuring that the US-backed ceasefire deal holds in Gaza.
“The Emirates will help, but they need two things: first, political clarity about the direction this is heading, as many other countries do,” Gargash said.
“This is not a unique position for the UAE. The second thing is the need for operational and security arrangements. You don’t want to send your children into a battlefield without a clear understanding of what’s happening there.”
This comes as Vance tours Israel with Kushner and Witkoff. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to arrive to Israel on Thursday.
Corrine Baum
Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-871393
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