United Arab Emirates ready to manage Gaza Strip after war, rebuild it without radical Islam – report

The United Arab Emirates and Israel agreed that the Gulf emirate would take over the management of the Gaza Strip after the war, according to a report by Israel Hayom.

The question of who will govern and rebuild the devastated enclave has once again received much attention in the wake of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

On Wednesday, Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office denied reports that Israel had agreed for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to run the Rafah border crossing.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently opposed calls to return control over Gaza to the PA, while Israeli and U.S. officials repeatedly floated the idea of regional powers, particularly the UAE, to take over temporary control.

According to the Israel Hayom report on Thursday, the UAE has agreed in principle to govern the area but insists it would only do so following an “invitation” by the Palestinians, and not following an Israeli initiative.

This is notably similar to what Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer said on the Knesset stage on Wednesday when he stressed that any initiative for the governance of Gaza seen as coming on behalf of Israel would be “dead on arrival.”

He added that Israel is “working on it and I am a partner in this work regarding the day after in Gaza.”

“Because this is an Israeli plan, we need to harness both the United States and the forces in the region, and I am very optimistic that it will be possible to reach management in Gaza 'the day after' exactly according to the framework established by the Prime Minister. We will talk less and do more,” Dermer said.

In addition to providing governance, and probably security, the UAE is reportedly willing to rebuild Gazan society in such a way that it won’t pose a threat to Israel again.

The Emirates is seen as a regional leader in the fight against radical Islam and Jihadism, and has in recent years overhauled its education system to remove Islamist, anti-Israel, and antisemitic content. This could provide a model for a reeducation of Gazan society.

The UAE is already deeply involved in the Gaza Strip, operating hospitals and a desalination plant there. Media reports also suggested that the Emirates have already shown a willingness to take part in an Arab security force in Gaza, together with partners like Egypt.

While it principally advocates the establishment of a Palestinian state, the UAE has repeatedly and publicly excoriated the Palestinian Authority for its corruption and demanded it should be reformed.

Also Thursday, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi said that Hamas as an idea would have to be countered with an alternative idea among Gazan society. This idea, al-Safadi told Sky News Arabic, should be a peace that would guarantee both the rights of the Palestinians as well as the security of Israel.

Al-Safadi added that this should be achieved through a political process and said security could only be created when a Palestinian government controlled Judea, Samaria, and Gaza with a full monopoly of force, meaning the dismantling of all terror groups.