Blinken lays out plan for governing Gaza after war ends

2025-01-14 20:07:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Blinken lays out plan for governing Gaza after war ends

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken presented the plan for managing Gaza in the post-war period on January 14, saying that the outgoing Joe Biden administration will hand over this plan to President-elect Donald Trump's team if a ceasefire agreement is reached.

Speaking at the Atlantic Council in Washington, in the final days of his term as US top diplomat, Blinken said Washington envisioned a reformed Palestinian Authority that would govern Gaza, and invited international partners to help establish an interim administration for the Palestinian enclave.

Under the American plan, a security force would be formed from partner state forces and Palestinian personnel who would go through vetting processes, Blinken said during the speech.

His speech was repeatedly interrupted by protesters who accused him of supporting, as they said, Israel's genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Israel has consistently denied the accusations of genocide.

Blinken's speech came as negotiators met in Qatar in the hope of finalizing a plan to end the 15-month war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas - the Palestinian group designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union - that has plunged the Middle East region into crisis.

"For months, we have been working intensively with our partners to create a detailed plan for the post-war period that will enable Israel to fully withdraw from Gaza, prevent Hamas from taking power, and provide Gaza with governance, security, and reconstruction," Blinken said.

Trump and his team have not said whether they will implement this plan.

According to Blinken, this plan and "a credible political horizon for the Palestinians" are required to prevent Hamas from re-emerging in Gaza.

The US has warned Israel in the past that Hamas cannot be defeated through a military campaign alone, Blinken said.

"We estimate that Hamas has recruited as many new militants as it has lost," he said.

The war in Gaza began in October 2023, after Hamas attacked Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and kidnapping nearly 250 others.

Meanwhile, as a result of the Israeli offensive, more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, the enclave's Health Ministry said./REL