Netanyahu’s postwar plan for Gaza reflects difficult balancing act
TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled his first official postwar plan for Gaza — but some experts say the proposal has more to do with political posturing than an offer of a tangible strategy for the months and years ahead.
TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled his first official postwar plan for Gaza — but some experts say the proposal has more to do with political posturing than an offer of a tangible strategy for the months and years ahead.
In a relatively scant document released late Thursday, Netanyahu revealed his plan for the enclave once Israel’s war with Hamas comes to an end. It was written in Hebrew and ran just over a page long.
“The good news is that there is a plan for the future,” said Gideon Rahat, senior fellow at the Jerusalem-based Israel Democracy Institute. “The bad news is that there isn’t much in it.”
Translated by NBC News, the document calls for Israel’s ongoing military presence, as well as for the continued maintenance of a “buffer zone” in northern Gaza — the latter of which the Biden administration has opposed since its conception.
The plan, which is broken down into immediate, intermediate and long-term goals, reiterates Netanyahu’s more pressing ambitions: to see the “complete demilitarization” of Gaza, an end to Hamas’ rule, and the release of hostages who have remained held captive since Oct. 7.
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