JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US envoy Steve Witkoff in Jerusalem Tuesday that the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) would not be part of post-war Gaza’s governance “in any way.”
“The Prime Minister clarified that the Palestinian Authority will not be involved in administering the Strip in any way,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement after the meeting ended.
Under US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan that ended a two-year war in the Palestinian territory, the PA’s post-war role in Gaza was left unclear.
The technocratic National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) was formed to handle day-to-day affairs until the PA completes a reform program.
Witkoff held talks with Netanyahu on Tuesday, during a visit that followed the reopening of Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt. This was the second meeting between the two in less than a fortnight.
At the meeting, Netanyahu also “reiterated the uncompromising demand for the disarmament of Hamas, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, and the fulfilment of the war objectives prior to the reconstruction of the Strip,” according to his office.
Israel has insisted that neither Hamas nor the PA should be involved in the governance of post-war Gaza.
On Monday, Netanyahu’s office lamented that the logo of the NCAG contains a symbol of the PA, suggesting a link between the two.
“Israel will not accept the use of a Palestinian Authority symbol; the Palestinian Authority will have no part in the administration of Gaza,” his office said in a statement.
The NCAG replied in a post on X on Tuesday, saying it “has been testing a range of visual concepts” and that logo designs may evolve, and added that its focus “is humanitarian relief, civilian administration, recovery, and a livable future for Gaza.”
“That’s the conversation that matters,” it said.
Netanyahu tells US envoy Palestinian Authority won’t be part of post-war Gaza governance
https://arab.news/warh2
Netanyahu tells US envoy Palestinian Authority won’t be part of post-war Gaza governance
- Israel has insisted that neither Hamas nor the PA should be involved in the governance of post-war Gaza
US makes plans to reopen embassy in Syria after 14 years
- The administration has been considering re-opening the embassy since last year
- Trump told reporters on Friday that Al-Sharaa was “doing a phenomenal job” as president
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has informed Congress that it intends to proceed with planning for a potential re-opening of the US Embassy in Damascus, Syria, which was shuttered in 2012 during the country’s civil war.
A notice to congressional committees earlier this month, which was obtained by The Associated Press, informed lawmakers of the State Department’s “intent to implement a phased approach to potentially resume embassy operations in Syria.”
The Feb. 10 notification said that spending on the plans would begin in 15 days, or next week, although there was no timeline offered for when they would be complete or when US personnel might return to Damascus on a full-time basis.
The administration has been considering re-opening the embassy since last year, shortly after longtime strongman Bashar Assad was ousted in December 2024, and it has been a priority for President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack.
Barrack has pushed for a deep rapprochement with Syria and its new leadership under former rebel Ahmad Al-Sharaa and has successfully advocated for the lifting of US sanctions and a reintegration of Syria into the regional and international communities.
Trump told reporters on Friday that Al-Sharaa was “doing a phenomenal job” as president. “He’s a rough guy. He’s not a choir boy. A choir boy couldn’t do it,” Trump said. “But Syria’s coming together.”
Last May, Barrack visited Damascus and raised the US flag at the embassy compound, although the embassy was not yet re-opened.
The same day the congressional notification was sent, Barrack lauded Syria’s decision to participate in the coalition that is combating the Daesh militant group, even as the US military has withdrawn from a small, but important, base in the southeast and there remain significant issues between the government and the Kurdish minority.
“Regional solutions, shared responsibility. Syria’s participation in the D-Daesh Coalition meeting in Riyadh marks a new chapter in collective security,” Barrack said.
The embassy re-opening plans are classified and the State Department declined to comment on details beyond confirming that the congressional notification was sent.
However, the department has taken a similar “phased” approach in its plans to re-open the US Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, following the US military operation that ousted former President Nicolás Maduro in January, with the deployment of temporary staffers who would live in and work out of interim facilities.
