Israeli Defense Boss Challenges Netanyahu Over Gaza Endgame
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s own defense chief publicly challenged him on Wednesday over his post-war plans for Gaza, saying he’d oppose direct Israeli military rule over the Palestinian enclave once the dust has settled.
Yoav Gallant called on 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’s idea for a governing alternative is “simple,” he told a Washington Post columnist this week. “We will not allow Hamas to control Gaza. We don’t want Israel to control it, either. What is the solution? Local Palestinian actors backed by international actors.”