For the first time since Donald Trump announced a historic agreement on Gaza on July 31, two days after their meeting, Benjamin Netanyahu broke his silence and officially announced his position on the Peace Board's plan: "Israel rejects the 15-point document. The IDF will not withdraw until Hamas is disarmed of its heavy and light weapons." Furthermore, he also rejected the prospect of a Palestinian state envisioned in the plan: "As long as I am prime minister, there will be none, neither in Gaza nor in the West Bank. Neither 'Fatahstan' nor 'Hamastan'."
The Israeli prime minister's words at the opening of the cabinet meeting immediately drew applause from the government's hardline wing: "I thank him for making it clear that we will not withdraw an inch from the Strip, nor will reconstruction begin before Hamas is completely disbanded," said Betzalel Smotrich.
From the field, however, different news is coming: Military Radio reports that two weeks ago, coinciding with the decision to allow the first Moroccan and Ugandan troops of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) into the Strip—one of the elements of the Trump plan—the political leadership had approved the start of reconstruction work in a "pilot zone" in Rafah, which lies within the perimeter of the "Yellow Line," still under IDF control.
This is the project called "Green Rafah" at the Civil-Military Coordination Center under the aegis of US Centcom, which has been operating in southern Israel since last October. It is funded primarily by the United Arab Emirates. According to Channel 11, the Shin Bet, Israel's internal intelligence agency, intends to first evacuate members of the Israeli-armed militias that collaborated with the IDF during the war: the Abu Shabab, Doghmush, al-Astal, and al-Mansi clans, who are targeted by Hamas's Sahm ("arrow") unit.
"The first residents of the new Rafah will be those opposed to Hamas; it's in Israel's interest," a source in the prime minister's office told the broadcaster. Furthermore, a compound has already been built near the area, which is expected to house the first 150 ISF soldiers from Rabat who patrolled the area in May. US soldiers are also currently circulating there, as evidenced by videos released from the area.
Netanyahu, however, has not yet taken the other step back requested by Smotrich, namely revoking the authorization for the ISF's entry into Gaza. According to commentators, the prime minister will find it difficult to override Trump's wishes on this point, even though he will do everything he can to thwart any withdrawal before the October 27 elections.
(Unioneonline)
