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.