Tel Aviv, Nov 8: In a recent interview with the American channel ABC, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a statement that has raised eyebrows and concerns. He declared that after the war, Israel would assume responsibility for the security of Gaza indefinitely. However, the precise implications of this statement are challenging to define, but it can be interpreted as a potentially ongoing Israeli involvement in the security of Gaza, without taking over civil administration in the region.

The term “security responsibility” is not new and has been used in reference to parts of the West Bank, another Palestinian territory. According to the Oslo Accords, the first agreement between Israel and Palestine in the 1990s, the Palestinian Authority is responsible for civil administration in some parts of the West Bank, while Israel maintains security responsibility in those areas. This essentially means that Israel can intervene in matters related to law and security in these regions at its discretion, while Palestinians are responsible for other aspects of daily life, such as waste collection and education.

Implementing such a framework in Gaza, as suggested by Prime Minister Netanyahu, would require the cooperation of a Palestinian organization willing to collaborate with Israel. However, any Palestinian entity or individual willing to work with Israel in the same way as what is happening in Gaza at the moment may be viewed as a “traitor” by some, seen as siding with the perceived enemy.

While this vision for Israel’s role in Gaza remains somewhat vague, it underscores the complexity of the current situation in the region. Israel finds itself in a challenging predicament, seemingly trapped in Gaza, and it may have to maintain some level of control over the area, possibly leading to a de facto occupation in order to fulfill its commitment to ensuring security in the region. The evolving situation in Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict will continue to demand careful attention and resolution efforts in the coming days.