Israeli ministers urge Netanyahu to reject Peace Board plan for Gaza — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Minister of National Missions Orit Strock appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reject the Peace Board’s new plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. According to the ministers, the document contradicts the agreements that, they claim, Netanyahu reached with the US administration and the Peace Board less than a month ago.
As The Jerusalem Post reports, last week the Peace Board presented a six-month, $2.45 billion program for Gaza’s reconstruction. It includes 66 costed programs covering temporary housing, debris clearance, water supply, the operation of hospitals and schools, energy, roads, and employment. The plan envisages implementing these measures alongside the deployment of the International Stabilization Force and a process of removing weapons from service.
Condition on demilitarization
Smotrich and Strock said that no reconstruction, deployment of foreign forces, including the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and the International Stabilization Force, or withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces should take place before the complete demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.
In their letter, they described the latest statement by Peace Board leaders as an attempt to again advance a 15-point roadmap. According to them, Israel had previously stated that it would not accept this document. The ministers called on Netanyahu to officially and unequivocally state that such an approach is unacceptable to Israel.
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Remarks on the forces and reconstruction
The letter’s authors claim that Hamas is not disarming but continues to arm itself, grow stronger, train, and carry out attacks. For this reason, in their view, there is no possibility of immediately launching reconstruction projects.
Smotrich and Strock also said that the Israeli cabinet had authorized the deployment of only 200 personnel from the International Stabilization Force, rather than 500 or 5,000. According to them, this force was intended to carry out demilitarization, rather than serve as a body overseeing the activities of the Israel Defense Forces.
The ministers also insist that, even after complete demilitarization, areas of Gaza that, in their view, could pose a threat to Israeli communities should not be rebuilt. They expect Netanyahu to state that certain provisions of the Peace Board’s proposal are unacceptable to Israel and will not be implemented.
