Netanyahu at odds with defence minister over humanitarian aid to Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is at odds with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over the delivery of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu has cited Israel’s Channel 12 as reporting. The two men apparently argued on the issue earlier this week.

The report said that the issue was brought up during a closed-door meeting when Gallant said: “The problem lies not with bringing supplies, but with who distributes it,” said the defence minister. “Someone has to take the lead, and it is not going to be Sweden. It must be the Palestinian Authority.”

In response, Netanyahu is reported to have said that he does not want to hear about the Palestinian Authority.”

The rift between Netanyahu and Gallant is said to have persisted for some time, mainly over differences over the potential role of the PA, which operates in the occupied West Bank, in governing the Gaza Strip when the ongoing Israeli military offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza comes to an end.

The US, meanwhile, has also called for “revitalising” the PA to take over in Gaza, a move opposed by Netanyahu. In an interview with Politico earlier this month, the Israeli leader reiterated his opposition to putting the PA in charge of Gaza. The “overwhelming majority” of Israelis agree with him and support his policies, he claimed.

Tensions have also increased between Washington and Tel Aviv over Israel’s plans to invade Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip which is supposed to be a “safe zone” for Palestinians displaced from other parts of the enclave. Israel’s refusal to countenance the so-called two-state solution, and obstruction of the delivery of aid to the Palestinians are also an issue between the US and the apartheid, occupation state.

READ: Humanitarian aid is a genocidal tool in the hands of Israel and the US