Blinken informs counterparts that Cairo and Abu Dhabi are conditionally on board, as US seeks to recruit other allies before rolling out plans for ‘day-after’ management of Strip
WASHINGTON — Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are prepared to participate in a postwar Gaza security force, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed counterparts during his recent visit to the region, three officials familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.
The US has been looking to recruit Arab allies for the initiative, as it readies to roll out its vision for the postwar management of Gaza, even though a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas terror group remains elusive.
During visits to Qatar, Egypt, Israel and Jordan two weeks ago, Blinken informed interlocutors that the US has made progress on the issue, receiving support from Cairo and Abu Dhabi for the creation of a force that would work alongside local Palestinian officers, according to an Arab official, a US official and a third source familiar with the matter.
However, the officials said that Egypt and the UAE both stipulated conditions for their involvement, including a demand that the initiative be linked to the establishment of a pathway to a future Palestinian state — an outcome Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to block.
The third source familiar with the matter said that Egypt is also demanding the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza — a condition likely to clash with Netanyahu’s pledge to maintain overall security control of the Strip after the war, with the ability to re-enter as necessary in order to prevent the revival of Hamas.
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Meanwhile, the UAE has demanded US involvement in the postwar Gaza security force, an Arab official said.
Illustrative – Palestinians inspect the damage next to a building destroyed during Israeli bombardment at al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on June 22, 2024. (Omar al-Qattaa/AFP)
Blinken told counterparts that the US would help establish and train the security force and ensure that it would have a temporary mandate, so that it could eventually be replaced by a fully Palestinian body, the third source said, adding that the goal is for the Palestinian Authority to eventually take over Gaza. Reuniting the Strip and the West Bank under a single governing entity is seen as an integral step toward an eventual two-state solution.
The secretary clarified, though, that the US would not be contributing troops of its own, the source said.
During a June 12 press conference in Doha, Blinken said the US and its partners would soon release its plans for the postwar management of Gaza. “In the coming weeks, we will put forward proposals for key elements of the day-after — planning that includes concrete ideas for how to manage governance, security, reconstruction.”
The officials speaking to The Times of Israel said the US is working on three concept notes on each of those issues, adding that Washington is hoping that Saudi Arabia will lead reconstruction efforts.
As for governance, Blinken privately told counterparts that the goal would be to establish a transitional government in Gaza, which would work closely with countries in the region, the officials said.
Blinken has held talks for months with a contact group of counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt and the PA. He has also looped in Morocco, Bahrain, Turkey, Indonesia and others in an effort to galvanize broad international support for the postwar stabilization of Gaza.
The secretary acknowledged at the Doha press conference that Hamas will determine whether or not the war will continue, but later insisted that the terror group “cannot and will not be allowed to decide the future for this region.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) gives a joint press conference with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani (R) in Doha on June 12, 2024. (Ibraheem AL-OMARI / POOL / AFP)
The US has also implored Israel to advance “day after” planning of its own, warning that failure to do so will either result in Israel permanently occupying the Strip or ushering in a period of chaos in which Hamas will be able to regain control.
Netanyahu for months resisted holding high-level talks on the postwar management of Gaza, not wanting to confront his far-right coalition partners who want Israel to occupy Gaza and re-establish settlements there.
National Unity party chairman Benny Gantz cited Netanyahu’s ducking of the issue in explaining his decision to pull out of the wartime government.
While Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has not followed Gantz, he has similarly criticized the premier’s conduct on the matter.
From left to right: Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet security services Director Ronen Bar at the special operations room overseeing a mission to release hostages in the Gaza Strip, June 8, 2024. (Shin Bet security service)
Gallant told reporters on Tuesday that he discussed his own “day after” plans during his meetings this week with top US officials in Washington, saying Gaza should be managed by a combination of “local Palestinians,” regional partners and the US, while acknowledging that it would be “a long and complex process.”
Responding to this report, a State Department spokesperson told The Times of Israel, “We are continuing discussions with the PA, key partners, and the Israelis on day after planning for Gaza, to include governance, security and reconstruction.”
“A day after plan for Gaza will be key to building an enduring end to the conflict, but also turning an end of the war into a just and durable peace, and using that peace as a foundation for building a more integrated, a more stable, a more prosperous region,” the spokesperson added.
The Egyptian embassy did not respond to a request for comment.