By Alexander Cornwell
DUBAI (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates has mentioned with Israel and the USA collaborating in a provisional administration of post-war Gaza till a reformed Palestinian Authority is ready to take cost, based on folks accustomed to the talks.
The behind-the-scenes discussions, reported by Reuters for the primary time, included the potential for the UAE and the USA, together with different nations, briefly overseeing the governance, safety and reconstruction of Gaza after the Israeli navy withdraws and till a Palestinian administration is ready to take over, a dozen overseas diplomats and Western officers instructed Reuters.
The UAE is a detailed safety accomplice of the U.S. and, not like most Arab governments, has diplomatic ties with Israel. The diplomats and officers mentioned this supplies the Gulf state with some leverage over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s authorities.
After greater than a yr of conflict, Israel stays reluctant to stipulate its personal imaginative and prescient for Gaza and the worldwide group has struggled to formulate a viable plan, mentioned the sources, who requested to not be recognized as a result of the conversations had been non-public.
The diplomats and officers harassed the concepts that had emerged from the UAE talks lacked element and had not been distilled into a proper, written plan nor adopted by any authorities.
Within the behind-the-scenes talks, Abu Dhabi is advocating for a reformed Palestinian Authority (PA) to control Gaza, the West Financial institution and East Jerusalem below an unbiased Palestinian state, the sources mentioned – one thing that Israel has publicly opposed.
“The UAE won’t take part in any plan that fails to incorporate important reform of the Palestinian Authority, its empowerment, and the institution of a reputable roadmap towards a Palestinian state,” a UAE official instructed Reuters, in response to questions in regards to the discussions.
“These parts – that are at the moment missing – are important for the success of any post-Gaza plan.”
The PA was established three a long time in the past below the 1993-1995 Oslo Accords, signed by Israel and Palestinians, and given restricted authority over the West Financial institution and Gaza. It nonetheless workouts some governance within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution however was run out of Gaza in 2007 by Hamas after a quick civil conflict.
A U.S. State Division spokesperson instructed Reuters there had been talks with a number of companions, together with the UAE, on choices for governance, safety and reconstruction, and that numerous draft proposals, plans and concepts had been put ahead by companions.
“These have been deliberative discussions that proceed, as we search the easiest way ahead,” the spokesperson mentioned, declining to remark additional on “non-public diplomatic conversations”.
The Israeli prime minister’s workplace declined remark for this story. The Palestinian Authority didn’t reply to Reuters’ questions.
Along with reforming the PA, 4 of the diplomats and Western officers mentioned that Emirati officers had steered the usage of non-public navy contractors as a part of a post-war peacekeeping pressure in Gaza. The opposite sources confirmed they had been briefed on what they described as Emirati post-war proposals, which included the doable use of such forces.
The diplomats and Western officers mentioned any deployment of such contractors would spark considerations amongst Western nations. Personal navy contractors, employed by the USA and different governments, have confronted accusations of torture, human rights abuses, and use of extreme pressure, amongst different allegations, together with in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The UAE official didn’t reply to questions on the usage of navy contractors.
RECONSTRUCTION WILL TAKE YEARS
Rebuilding Gaza, together with its political establishments, is anticipated to take years and price tens of billions of {dollars}, requiring substantial worldwide help, following 15 months of Israel’s devastating navy marketing campaign.
Whereas the UAE has criticised the conduct of Israel’s navy and Netanyahu himself, Israel nonetheless desires the oil-rich nation concerned in post-war Gaza, based on two former Israeli officers, who declined to be recognized.
Like Israel, the Gulf state opposes Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group that led the Oct. 7, 2023 assault on Israel that sparked the conflict.
Abu Dhabi views Hamas and different Islamist teams as destabilizing forces. UAE officers have additionally expressed concern publicly over the conflict’s impression on stability within the Center East and on efforts in direction of better regional integration and financial growth.
Requested whether or not Hamas was conscious of proposals mentioned by the UAE, Basem Naim, one of many group’s senior officers, instructed Reuters that after the conflict, Gaza have to be “distinctly Palestinian” and with out “overseas interventions”.
Washington is pushing, alongside mediators Egypt and Qatar, for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Israel and Hamas traded blame in late December for delays in reaching a ceasefire – which either side had mentioned seemed to be shut final month. On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned Washington needed to see a ceasefire deal concluded within the subsequent two weeks.
When requested about the way forward for Gaza, Brian Hughes, a spokesman for Donald Trump’s transition staff, mentioned the U.S. president-elect – who is because of take workplace on Jan. 20 – would work in shut coordination with Arab and Israeli companions “to make sure that Gaza can sooner or later prosper”.
REFORM OF PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
The Gulf state has mentioned it could solely ship troops to a post-war multinational mission on the invitation of the Palestinian Authority and with the involvement of the U.S.
Netanyahu, nonetheless, has mentioned he’s towards the Palestinian Authority in its present kind governing Gaza, citing his long-standing grievances over the PA’s college syllabus, which he says fuels hatred of Israel, and its coverage of giving salaries to households of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
The UAE has referred to as for a brand new prime minister to steer the Palestinian Authority, which Emirati officers steadily criticized as corrupt and inept in the course of the closed-door talks, the diplomats and officers mentioned, with out offering specifics.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, who took workplace in March, has pledged to implement reforms inside the Palestinian Authority whose funds have been in disarray for years as donor states have reduce funding till corruption and waste are tackled.
Emirati officers have talked about former prime minister Salam Fayyad, a U.S.-educated former World Financial institution official, as the kind of one who can be credible to steer a revamped Palestinian Authority, based on the diplomats and officers.
Fayyad served as prime minister from 2007 till resigning in 2013 after falling out with President Mahmoud Abbas, who stays in workplace. Reuters was unable to achieve Fayyad for remark.
