Abbas won’t govern Gaza after war, says Israel’s Netanyahu

JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Wednesday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not govern the Gaza Strip during his term.

“As long as I’m the prime minister of Israel, this will not happen,” Netanyahu said on social media platform X, in response to a report by Sky News Arabia that Abbas had confirmed that his authority is ready to assume power in Gaza.

"Those who educate their children for terrorism, finance terrorism and support terrorist families, will not be able to rule Gaza after eliminating Hamas," he said.

There was no comment yet from the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) on Netanyahu's statements.

According to Israeli media, Netanyahu informed the US administration that there would be no place for the PA in the Gaza Strip in the post-war phase.

Netanyahu's statements contradict the stance of the US, which has repeatedly emphasized the necessity of having a "Palestinian authority" in Gaza after the war.

The PA, for its part, said it is ready to return to Gaza as part of a comprehensive political plan. This plan includes unity between the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem as part of a political solution leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio