Vague alternatives: in Palestine, a plan for the reconstruction of Gaza has been drawn up
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- Vague alternatives: in Palestine, a plan for the reconstruction of Gaza has been drawn up
Ramallah has developed a comprehensive plan for the management and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. A representative of the largest Palestinian faction Fatah told Izvestia that the program is aimed at upgrading infrastructure and improving the humanitarian situation in the exclave. However, it will not be easy to implement these initiatives: Hamas does not intend to give up power. The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) added that its representatives are already involved in clearing the rubble and providing financial, medical and other support to the local population. However, Israel remains the main obstacle to the extension of the PNA's legal and political jurisdiction over the Gaza Strip.
Ramallah plans to return to Gaza with a new plan
The Palestinian authorities have prepared a plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, designed to improve the humanitarian situation and return the exclave under the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). Abdel Fattah Al-Dawla, an official representative of the largest faction within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Fatah, told Izvestia.
- The Palestinian National Authority has established contacts with international partners and confirmed at several international forums that it has jurisdiction over the entire territory of the State of Palestine and that it is capable and ready to fulfill its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip, as well as in the West Bank and Jerusalem," Abdel Fattah Ad-Daula told the paper.
Earlier, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Simona Halperin told Izvestia that Israel allows for the presence of Palestinians in the future leadership in the exclave, but with no affiliation to Hamas.
- The PNA has prepared a complete and comprehensive plan of action to govern the Gaza Strip, rebuild infrastructure, humanitarian aid in the Strip through the relevant ministries," Fatah said.
The movement added that the Palestinian authorities did not stop carrying out their activities neither after the Hamas coup and taking control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, nor during the Israeli operation.
The Fatah spokesman also noted: Ramallah continued its work despite the theft of Palestinian tax funds, which Israel justified by claiming that part of the allocations were going to Gaza.
According to the 1994 Paris Protocol on economic relations between Israel and the PLO, the Jewish state collected monthly taxes and duties on behalf of the Palestinians and transferred these funds to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). Some of it went to fund its apparatus in the Gaza Strip. This is the PNA's largest source of income, accounting for about 70-75% of total revenue. In November 2023, Israel canceled an agreement with Norway to hold and transfer funds allocated to the Gaza Strip, ostensibly because Oslo recognized a Palestinian state.
- Even now, after the first phase of the agreement, representatives of the PNA are involved in the work of clearing the rubble and providing financial, medical and other support to our people there," the movement said.
Hamas has no intention of leaving power in Gaza
The intra-Palestinian conflict remains a major obstacle to the return of the NPA's authority in Gaza. Hamas, which has been in de facto control of the Gaza Strip since 2007, has no intention of relinquishing that status, Abdel Fattah al-Dawla told Izvestia.
- Hamas carried out the October 7, 2023 attack not to be out of the political scene, but rather to strengthen its presence. It did not negotiate with the Israeli government to withdraw from the political arena, but sought its retention. Hamas has no intention of relinquishing control of the Gaza Strip," the Fatah spokesman said.
He noted that Hamas wanted to present the deal as its big achievement, despite the concessions it made in the negotiations - also evident in its acceptance of many of the conditions set by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the agreement. Earlier, Hamas representative in Lebanon Ahmed Abdel Hadi told Izvestia that the movement is ready to show flexibility in some points of the ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip. Hamas' position, he said, could be adjusted with regard to the chosen timing of the deal's stages and the issue of hostages.
- Hamas is trying not to appear defeated in this battle, despite the enormous losses suffered by our Palestinian people. In the Gaza Strip, the death toll, the number of wounded, the number of wounded and the huge destruction have been the result of a genocidal war that lasted 15 months, in addition to the losses of the movement itself," Fatah said.
The split between the two leading Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas was largely the result of Israeli policies. In 2003, former Jewish Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced the unilateral withdrawal of IDF forces from the Gaza Strip, a decision that was not part of any agreement with Ramallah.
Hamas then seized the opportunity to declare itself the winner by "expelling" Israeli troops. This hit the reputation of the Palestinian Authority hard. In 2006, Hamas won elections for the PNA legislative council, after which it formed a government headed by Ismail Haniyeh.
In 2007, the radical movement seized power in the exclave, ousting functionaries of Fatah, which governs the West Bank. Since then, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has never visited the Gaza Strip.
Nevertheless, representatives of 14 Palestinian factions signed the Beijing Declaration on Ending the Split last summer. The document states the importance of establishing an interim government of popular unity under the auspices of the Palestine Liberation Organization after the end of the war. Among the signatories were the Gaza-controlling radical Hamas movement and its allied Islamic Jihad group.
Israel is preventing the return of the PNA to Gaza
Israeli authorities have consistently blocked any attempt by the NPA to govern the Strip. Such actions are aimed at isolating the PNA and its international influence, as well as undermining any efforts to strengthen Palestinian statehood.
- The Israeli government is the biggest obstacle to the efforts of the Palestinian National Authority and the exercise of its responsibilities and the expansion of its legal and political jurisdiction over the Gaza Strip. They prevent the Palestinian National Authority from governing the Gaza Strip," Fatah was told.
The January 22 statement by Netanyahu's office that the Palestinian authorities are not involved in the management of the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt following the Gaza ceasefire is noteworthy.
"Despite the Palestinian Authority's attempts to create the false impression that it controls the Rafah crossing, it should be noted that, according to the agreement, IDF forces control the crossing and no one passes through it without prior inspection, supervision and approval by the IDF and Shabak (General Security Service. - Ed.)," the statement said.
Netanyahu's office added that technical management inside the crossing is carried out by Gazans not affiliated with Hamas, who are vetted by the security service. Although media reports say that the force that will take over the task of managing the border crossing belongs to the Palestinian Authority.
The PNA can play a major role in political and diplomatic revitalization, Ramallah should reach out to the most influential Arab countries, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the UAE, according to Palestinian security expert Mohammed Al-Masri. The Palestinian authorities may also contact the US administration to put pressure on Israel to end the wars not only in Gaza, but in the region as a whole, the expert noted in a conversation with Izvestia.
Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal said earlier: the importance of the PNA's return to Gaza is due to the fact that it is the only force capable of governing the exclave in the current and post-war phases. "Only it can engage in preparations for the international conference on the reconstruction of Gaza, which, according to the most conservative estimates of the UN, is estimated at $80-90 billion. It takes seven to eight years to rebuild the infrastructure," the head of the diplomatic mission noted. As a result of hostilities, the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip was destroyed by 88%.
