U.S., Israel, and UAE in Talks on Postwar Gaza Governance

Latest Developments

Representatives from the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) met in Abu Dhabi last week to discuss plans for postwar Gaza, Axios reported on July 23. Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayid reportedly hosted the meeting, with White House Middle East Advisor Brett McGurk, State Department counselor Tom Sullivan, and Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer in attendance.

One day before the trilateral meeting, bin Zayid’s special envoy and the UAE’s Ambassador to the UN, Lana Nusseibeh, published an op-ed in the Financial Times outlining Abu Dhabi’s vision for postwar Gaza. She called for a “temporary international mission that responds to the humanitarian crisis, establish[es] law and order, lays the groundwork for governance, and paves the way” for uniting Gaza and the West Bank under a single governance structure, led by a reformed Palestinian Authority (PA). She said that the mission should work in concert with the United Nations and “will need the full and steadfast backing of all relevant stakeholders that are committed to peace.”

In that spirit, Nusseibeh told the Financial Times in a separate report that Abu Dhabi is willing to contribute troops to the mission, with several conditions: the United States must assume a leadership role in postwar efforts, the PA must undertake reforms and formally invite the international mission into Gaza, and the Israeli government must allow the PA to assume a governing role in Gaza and “agree to a political process based on the two-state solution,” Axios said.

Expert Analysis

“Having the UAE and not Qatar in a leading role for post-Hamas Gaza planning is a positive direction. Using the Palestinian Authority as the starting point for a successful strategy, not so much. We need more information on what if any PA reforms we will see upfront, who is participating in any peacekeeping force, and whether we finally move away from UNRWA.” — Richard Goldberg, FDD Senior Advisor

“Of all the experiments in Palestinian self-rule, the one connected to the UAE and usually associated with the tenure of former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad between 2007 and 2013 has been, by far, the best for Palestinians, their economy, and their standard of living. A repeat in Gaza, without PA distortions and with regional and global support, might go even further and would certainly be much better than what Palestinians have experienced over the past 25 years.” — Hussain Abdul-Hussain, FDD Research Fellow

Visions for Postwar Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the security cabinet with a plan for post-war Gaza in February. The plan envisions the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) retaining security control of Gaza after the war with “local officials” who are unaffiliated with terrorist groups administering civil affairs. The plan also involves replacing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) — the UN agency dedicated to the descendants of Palestinian refugees that has been accused by Israel of collaborating with Hamas — with “responsible international aid organizations.”

In March, senior U.S. officials told Politico that the Biden administration was deliberating options for postwar architecture. In one scenario, the Pentagon would help fund a multinational peacekeeping force that would not include U.S. troops. U.S. funding would go towards “reconstruction, infrastructure, humanitarian assistance, and other needs” and would “supplement contributions from other countries,” Politico reported, citing U.S. officials.

Failures of the PA

Since the war began in October with the Hamas atrocities in Israel, Washington has repeatedly said that a “revitalized” PA should govern post-war Gaza. But concerns remain over the PA’s ability to govern an independent Palestinian state. PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who is in the 20th year of a four-year term, has presided over a corrupt and ineffective government that has lost legitimacy among the Palestinian people. The PA also continues to provide controversial welfare payments for Palestinian terrorists or their surviving families and allows Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups to operate in the West Bank without significant restrictions. Netanyahu previously ruled out the PA retaking control of Gaza, stating during a November press conference that “there isn’t going to be in Gaza a civilian authority that teaches its children to hate Israel and to destroy Israel.”

Related Analysis

“10 Things to Know About the Palestinian Authority,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Prime Minister Presents Plan for Post-War Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief

“After Hamas is destroyed, here are the five things that must not happen in Gaza,” by Richard Goldberg

“A Palestinian Authority that rewards terrorism has no place in Gaza,” by Natalie Ecanow