BICOM

As ceasefire talks continue in Cairo, prominent Israeli leaders have floated their own ideas over how to establish a secure, durable and sustainable future in Gaza without Hamas at the helm.

Earlier this week, Finance Minister and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid proposed a diplomatic initiative, which would aim to “demilitarize Gaza and the transfer of authority in the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority while maintaining Israel’s strategic security interest.” Lapid also called for Egypt to host an international conference, involving global powers, plus “moderate Arab states including Saudi Arabia” in order to “provide economic support for the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip.” However, according to the Times of Israel, an Israel Foreign Ministry official called the idea of involving Saudi Arabia “pure science fiction.”

Meanwhile, towards the end of last week, Justice Minister and Hatnuah leader Tzipi Livni presented her own plan for the future of Gaza. She proposed a multi-stage plan which would begin with a cessation of hostilities, prior to huge assistance to reconstruct the Gaza Strip before recognising the Palestinian Authority (PA) as the sovereign authority in Gaza and an eventual resumption of peace talks between Israel and the PA. Livni told Channel Two, “A peace agreement would not be with Hamas, but against it. Which is why what I propose presents a new [Gaza] order, with Egypt, with Israel, with the Palestinian Authority and with other regional countries.”

Also last week, Foreign Minister and Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Lieberman floated the idea of asking the United Nations (UN) to become the custodian of the Gaza Strip. Speaking to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, Lieberman said “One idea is an international mandate of the United Nations,” saying that such arrangements in East Timor and Kosovo were examples where, “We saw UN mandates working, and they worked not bad.”