Watan-Reports from Hebrew sources reveal intriguing details about an Arab meeting held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, discussing Gaza’s governance after the Israeli war on the region.
The “Jerusalem Post” website stated that senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority secretly convened in Riyadh ten days ago to coordinate “post-war plans” for Gaza and discuss ways to involve the Palestinian Authority in the governance of the territory.
Participants in the secret meeting
Participants in the secret meeting included Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, Palestinian General Intelligence Director Majed Faraj, and their Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts, Abbas Kamel and Ahmed Husni, respectively.
The “Jerusalem Post” cited undisclosed sources stating that American and Israeli officials were briefed on the meeting and its contents through some participants.
According to sources, Saudi, Egyptian, and Jordanian security chiefs informed Faraj that the Palestinian Authority needed to undertake serious reforms to revitalize its political leadership.
A key request directed at the Palestinian Authority
A key request directed at the Palestinian Authority was that if a new Palestinian government were formed, the new Prime Minister would obtain some powers that had been centralized in recent years under the current Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas.
During the meeting, the Saudi National Security Advisor stated that the Kingdom remained interested in progressing with normalization with Israel in exchange for practical, irreversible steps from Israel, paving the way for the establishment of a Palestinian state, even if its creation is not immediately possible.
He clarified that the Palestinian Authority is increasingly discussing post-conflict plans with its Arab allies. Still, the Israeli government has not provided much information about its view on Gaza’s governance if it achieves its goal of defeating Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to allow the Palestinian Authority to have a role in Gaza but has not proposed an alternative.
Reality contradicts the chances of the plan’s success
The sources indicated that discussions about who would govern Gaza after the war are in conflict with the reality on the ground.
Israeli officials, unnamed in the report, claimed that Hamas has begun regaining its capabilities in areas where the Israeli military reduced its presence in the northern and central parts of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli officials considered the lack of decisions regarding the post-war situation in Gaza contributing to the return of Hamas’s civilian control over parts of the Gaza Strip.
Information provided by the Israeli army to the government, as reported by the broadcasting agency, revealed that municipalities that previously operated under Hamas rule recently started providing services to Gaza residents who remained in the central and northern areas of the territory, in addition to emergency committees established by Hamas.