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Washington
CNN
—
U.S. officials are discussing Gaza’s post-war situation with the Palestinian Authority and the U.S. regional presence — a key issue as they try to look beyond the immediate conflict. .
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on Friday afternoon with a delegation of Arabs from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Turkey and the Palestinian Authority, which is the main focus of Gaza after the attack of Israel was expected to be the main topic of discussion.
Shortly after the meeting began, the US vetoed a UN resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
A draft of the resolution, issued by the United Arab Emirates, called for “a humanitarian emergency,” as well as the “immediate and unconditional release of all detainees” and “ensuring access to people,” according to a copy.
The US only vetoed it. Britain abstained because the resolution did not condemn the October 7 attack by Hamas.
After the war, US officials said they envisioned both Gaza and the West Bank being governed by a unified government led by a “reinvigorated” Palestinian Authority.
The President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, who initially rejected the idea of the PA taking control of Gaza on the heels of the Israeli invasion, has changed his position. Still, many questions remain about the “future day” for Gaza after the war. State Department spokesman Matt Miller said Wednesday that the U.S. understands there will be “some sort of transition” that will keep Israeli troops in Gaza after the war, but it cannot last.
A Western diplomat told CNN that in past talks the Arabs have made it clear they are not willing to join an international force to provide security in Gaza after the war. . The ministers also said that if the Arab world wants to play a role in rebuilding and supporting the PA, there must be a way to a Palestinian state.
In a press conference in Washington, DC, Friday, the delegation emphasized that they are not willing to discuss the “last day” only in the context of Gaza, but in the context of a Palestinian state.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Jordan, Ayman Safadi, advised on CNN that they will not play a part in international peace, and condemned the Israeli attack.
“All of us have lost our credibility,” he told Jim Sciutto on “CNN Newsroom” on Max.
“We have lost confidence in front of our people because our people are looking at us and saying, ‘Okay, you said to stop Israel. No. The entire international community has failed to act in any meaningful way to stop the killing,’” he said. “I will. Everyone has lost confidence. To be complacent is to lose credibility. The peace camp has lost credibility. So this is a dangerous situation that we have to think about at one time or another.
The delegation reiterated their call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and sent statements to representatives of the international community – such as the US – for failing to advocate for one.
A senior administration official said that privately there is concern within the administration because of the reluctance of the US’ Arab allies to play any part in an international peace process. after the war, since they were the loudest in condemning the Israeli attack on Gaza. An Arab ambassador told CNN that their country would “absolutely not” put any of its own troops in Gaza after the war. Part of that is because Arab states don’t want to see the Palestinians defeated, the ambassador said.
The Biden administration has consistently advocated for a two-state solution. Last month, Blinken laid out the administration’s terms for “permanent peace and security” in Gaza after the war, which included no Israeli settlements and no reduction in territory. Therefore, the US opposes the establishment of an Israeli security force in Gaza after the war.
Vice President Kamala Harris also raised the Gaza conflict in several meetings and phone calls with Arab leaders last weekend while in Dubai, telling reporters that she shared what the if it is in the US according to the post-dispute plan.
“In particular, I recommended three areas to focus on,” said Harris, citing the reconstruction of infrastructure in Gaza, strengthening the security of the Palestinian Authority and the renewal of the PA administration. . Harris reiterated that a two-state solution is the best way forward.
Blinken met with Abbas in Ramallah last week. Harris’ national security adviser, Phil Gordon, held additional meetings in the West Bank this week.
“He emphasized our future commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state and made it clear that the Palestinian people must have a political environment of hope. In that context, Dr. Gordon discussed the revival of the Authority. Palestine,” according to the White House.
This is an extension of what was announced by the officials of the security of the United States regarding Gaza and the PA.
“Leadership choices – these things, of course, are about the Palestinians and the Palestinians themselves. But there are many things that we think are very important in ensuring that, again, the Palestinian Authority can be useful in helping to advance the needs and wants of its people,” Blinken said. last week.
Deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said last month that the PA would “be part” of any future solution to the West Bank and Gaza after the attacks. it is now – a prospect strongly opposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A senior administration official told CNN that the apparent disagreement between the US and Israel about a future role for the PA has been exaggerated. The US has agreed that the Palestinian Authority in its current, weak state will not be able to control Gaza, but a “renewed” PA – including a completely new leadership – is a viable solution.
This is what the Prime Minister of Palestine Mohammad Shtayyeh said Bloomberg he sees a role for Hamas in the future administration of Gaza – a prospect that will also be strongly rejected by Israel, whose aim is to destroy the group. American officials have said that it is impossible to return to the “status quo” before October 7. The Western diplomat told CNN that many of the Arab partners do not want it. Also, Hamas remains in power in Gaza.
It is not clear that such an arrangement is even possible, given the long history of hostility between Hamas in Gaza and its political rival Fatah, which controls the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. The two sides have tried – and failed – several times to reach an agreement to unite the two separate Palestinian territories under one administration.
Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation agreement in Cairo in October 2017 under the pressure of the Arab states, led by Egypt. Under the agreement, a new unity government was to take control of the Gaza Strip two months later, ending a decade of conflict that began when Hamas violently ousted the Palestinian Authority from Gas in 2007.
But the lofty demands of the treaty soon collapsed. When Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah visited Gaza in March 2018, he was the target of an assassination attempt when a bomb exploded near his compound. Hamdallah’s Fatah faction immediately blamed Hamas for the attack.
CNN’s Oren Liebermann contributed to this report.