Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was publicly questioned about post-war plans for the Gaza Strip on Wednesday (15) by his own defense chief, who promised to oppose any long-term military government by Israel. over the devastated Palestinian enclave.
In a televised news conference, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that shortly after the conflict began with the Hamas attack on October 7, he tried to promote a plan for an alternative Gaza administration made up of Palestinians.
Those efforts “got no response” from various decision-making cabinet forums under Netanyahu, said Gallant, who comes from the prime minister’s Likud party.
“I ask the prime minister to announce that Israel will not rule Gaza militarily,” Gallant said. “An alternative to Hamas governance must be established… Indecision will erode the military gains (from the war).”
There was no immediate response from Netanyahu, who earlier on Wednesday issued a statement that appeared to be a response to similar remarks conveyed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Netanyahu said that Israel, if it achieves its goal of dismantling the Hamas government and military apparatus in Gaza, will maintain overall security control over the territory. He stopped short of describing this scenario as an occupation.
He also rejected proposals for the internationally backed Palestinian Authority (PA), which exercises some governance in the occupied West Bank, to return to a post-war Gaza.
Netanyahu has accused the PA of being hostile to Israel, but his coalition government also relies on ultranationalist partners who want the PA dismantled and Jewish settlements expanded into Gaza.
Source: CNN Brasil
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