Netanyahu: PA chief Abbas won’t rule Gaza while I’m PM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday pledged that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will not rule the besieged Gaza Strip during his term as prime minister.

Sky News had reported Palestinian sources as saying that Abbas has confirmed the Palestinian Authority’s readiness to assume governance over Gaza and the West Bank after the end of Israel’s war on the enclave.

Commenting on the news, Netanyahu posted on X: “As long as I am the prime minister of Israel, this will not happen.”

“Those who raise their children with terrorism, finance terrorism, and support the families of terrorists will not be able to rule Gaza after eliminating Hamas,” he added.

The Palestinian presidency did not immediately comment on Netanyahu’s statements, but Abbas has repeatedly stressed that “there is no security or military solution for the Gaza Strip, which is an integral part of the Palestinian state, and it is not possible to accept or deal with the Israeli occupation’s plans.”

On Tuesday evening, Netanyahu said in a press conference that Gaza must be demilitarised once the war ends, adding that the only force that can be responsible for that, is the Israeli army, and no other arrangement would be acceptable.

Netanyahu’s statements contradict the US position, which has repeatedly said that the PA must return to Gaza.

READ: Netanyahu will not allow PA to return to Gaza