A power-sharing deal could be agreed in exchange for normalized ties with Saudi Arabia, Israeli officials told the paper
After the conflict with Hamas in Gaza ends, Israel could offer to share control over the Palestinian enclave with the US and a coalition of Arab nations, according to a report in the New York Times citing officials.
In a report on Friday, the paper said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is avoiding detailed public discussions about Gaza’s post-war future, but that behind the scenes officials have been developing an “expansive plan.”
Three Israeli officials, and five people who have discussed the proposal with the Israeli government, told the NYT that the Jewish state would offer to share oversight of Gaza with the US and three Arab countries – Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
According to the sources, Israel would do so in exchange for normalized ties with Saudi Arabia.
Under the plan, local leaders in Gaza, who would be tasked with rebuilding the territory, reforming its education system and maintaining order, would to be appointed by Israeli and the Arab nations in cooperation with Washington.
After seven to ten years, people in the enclave would be allowed to vote on whether to be absorbed into a united Palestinian administration that would control both the West Bank and Gaza, according to the proposal.
The NYT stressed that the plan does not specify whether this united administration would constitute a sovereign Palestinian state. Netanyahu has publicly rejected a two-state solution, despite such a path being supported by many world powers, including Israel’s key ally, the US.
The proposal also states the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) can continue to operate inside Gaza after the conflict with Palestinian armed group Hamas concludes, the officials said.
The NYT report comes amid intensified international efforts to persuade the sides to reach a ceasefire, which could pave the way for a permanent truce in Gaza.
Israel launched its military operation in the Palestinian enclave in response to the October 7 cross-border incursion by Hamas, in which at least 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage. According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 34,622 Palestinians have so far been killed and 77,867 others wounded in the IDF’s airstrikes and ground offensive.