Axios: The details of Blinken’s plan for the day after the end of the Israeli war on Gaza
Three US officials told Axios that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will present a plan to rebuild and govern Gaza after the war between Israel and Hamas, Tuesday.
Blinken is in his final week in the White House, but he hopes his plan will become a reference point for any future plan for the day after Gaza, including for the incoming Trump administration.
Axios said that Blinken will present his plan in a speech to the Atlantic Council on Tuesday morning, amid efforts to reach an agreement on detainees and prisoners and a ceasefire in Gaza.
President-elect Donald Trump told Newsmax Monday evening that Israel and Hamas are very close to reaching a deal.
“I understand that there is a handshake and they will be done — probably by the end of the week,” he said.
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is taking part in the negotiations in Doha.
Axios noted that developing a plan for the governance structure in Gaza after the fall of Hamas will be crucial to efforts to implement the second phase of the Gaza agreement, which aims to reach a permanent ceasefire and end the war.
Blinken presented his plan for security, governance and reconstruction in Gaza after the ceasefire agreement was reached to a number of US allies.
“We’re ready to hand this issue over to the Trump administration so that they can work on it and take advantage of it when the opportunity arises,” he said at a press conference in Paris last week.
According to Axios, Blinken’s plan has become a controversial issue within the State Department and a source of violent internal fighting.
Some US State Department officials have expressed concerns that the plan would serve the interests of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and marginalize the Palestinian Authority and President Mahmoud Abbas.
In a quick report, Axios reported in October that Blinken was working on a post-war plan for Gaza based on ideas developed by Israel, and wanted to present it after the presidential election.
Blinken put his adviser and close friend, Jamie Rubin, in charge of the plan.
Rubin traveled to Israel and the West Bank several weeks ago to discuss the plan.
Palestinian Authority officials gave Rubin a long list of reservations about the plan, indicating their lack of support for it, US officials said.
US officials said the State Department has briefed the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries on the main points of the speech.
Axios pointed out that Blinken’s plan depends on establishing a governance mechanism that includes the participation of the international community and Arab countries, which may also send forces to Gaza to stabilize the security situation and provide humanitarian aid.
The speech will call for reform of the Palestinian Authority, stressing that the Palestinian Authority must be part of any future government in Gaza.
The Israeli government wants Arab states to participate in the post-war Gaza process, but has so far refused to agree to any post-war plan that includes the Palestinian Authority.
Blinken will also reiterate in his speech the principles he laid out in Tokyo early in the war that oppose any permanent Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip, any territorial reduction, or the forcible transfer of Palestinians from Gaza.
The bottom line is that “Blinken wants to try to shape the outcome of the war, and in his speech, he will make clear how he believes Israel can turn its tactical victories against Hamas into strategic gains”.
