Netanyahu: Resettling Gaza “Was Never in the Cards”
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – While no plan has been advanced for the ‘day after’ Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip ends, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that future Israeli resettlement of Gaza was “never in the cards.”
Netanyahu’s remark followed last week’s demand by Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that the PM state publicly Israel will not establish civilian or military control of the enclave that has been controlled by Hamas since 2007.
Israel’s governing coalition is deeply divided over what should happen the ‘day after:’ far-right ministers want Israel to reverse its 2005 unilateral withdrawal from Gaza by annexing and resettling the Strip, while Gallant himself opposes Israeli rule there.
During a press conference last week Wednesday, Gallant said: “The ‘day after Hamas,’ will only be achieved with Palestinian entities taking control of Gaza, accompanied by international actors, establishing a governing alternative to Hamas’ rule.”
“I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a decision and declare that Israel will not establish civilian control over the Gaza Strip, that Israel will not establish military governance in the Gaza Strip, and that a governing alternative to Hamas in the Gaza Strip will be raised immediately,” Gallant added.
In answer to an interview question posed by CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday, Netanyahu said: “You mean resettling Gaza? Yeah. It was never in the cards, and I said so openly [and] some of my constituents are not happy about it, but that’s my position.” The PM went on to reiterate his intention to destroy Hamas’ capabilities in Gaza.
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