By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL- Analysts said that this weekend’s trip by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Turkey and the Middle East is not expected to yield any concrete results since Israel and the U.S. refuse to call for a total ceasefire in Gaza. There has also been no news on a new hostage exchange deal with a majority of Israelis calling for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s resignation. According to recent media reports, the Israeli Cabinet is divided on the response to the “Day After” – what happens after the war in Gaza ends. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant presented his proposal entitled “Day After” which includes a four-part plan where Israeli military control in Gaza would continue, there would be no Jewish settlements and the U.S., Egypt and moderate Arab countries would lead reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in Gaza. The controversy over the plan stems from Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who is dead-set against Gallant’s proposal primarily because he believes there should be Israeli settlements in Gaza. To that end, Smotrich commented that “encouraging voluntary emigration {of Gazans}and full {Israeli} security control including renewed settlement.”
Israel’s coalition is divided on Gallant’s plan which also calls for local Palestinian authorities to play a central role in civil affairs. The plan was to be presented to the Israeli war cabinet and broader security cabinet late last week. Gallant told the press that his plan is based on the concept that Hamas would no longer be in control of Gaza and poses no security threat to Israel.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is opposed to any Israeli plan that would not include Palestinians having autonomous authority in Gaza. Political analysts from the Middle East say Gallant’s proposal is no different from the decades of Israeli occupation if Israel retains total control over the entire region of Gaza including the borders with Egypt. According to recent media reports, an Israeli real estate firm already has plans to build Jewish settlements in Gaza and Israel’s far-right has floated the idea of shipping Gazans to The Democratic Republic of Northern Congo (DRNC) which is not only rife with conflict but disease as well.
The fact remains that there’s still no hostage deal on the horizon with Israelis losing patience and protests increasing in Israel with repeated calls for Netanyahu to step down. What analysts and experts on the region say is shocking, is the Biden administration’s refusal to insist on a full ceasefire especially in light of South Africa’s and Turkiye’s genocide claims to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Blinken’s visit is focused on securing a hostage deal, ramping up humanitarian aid and discussions on what happens after the Gaza war. Analysts on the region point out that because the U.S. has made no concrete moves to secure a full ceasefire from Israel that many Arab leaders have lost respect for Blinken and the Biden administration.
