hamas Will Not Govern Gaza post-Conflict,Source Confirms
Following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after two years of conflict,a Hamas source stated Sunday that the movement will not participate in the governance of Gaza after the war. The ceasefire is based on a 20-point plan proposed by the US president.
According to the source, speaking on condition of anonymity to AFP, “For Hamas, the governance of the Gaza Strip is a settled issue. Hamas will not participate at all in the transition phase, which means that it has given up control of the Gaza Strip, but it remains a essential element of Palestinian society.”
While past internal divisions within Hamas existed regarding the future administration of Gaza, the source indicated a current consensus against disarmament. “Hamas agrees to a long-term truce, and that its weapons will not be used at all during this period, except in the event of an Israeli attack on Gaza,” the source said. “The proposed surrender of weapons is out of the question and is not negotiable,” another Hamas official affirmed Saturday, also speaking anonymously.
The US plan stipulates that Gaza, currently under Hamas control as 2007, will become “a deradicalized zone free of terrorism, which will not represent a threat to its neighbors,” and explicitly excludes Hamas from future governance, calling for the destruction of its military infrastructure.
A “technocratic and apolitical” Palestinian committee will manage public services during a transition period. Negotiators have requested Egypt, a mediating country, to convene a meeting before the end of next week to finalize the committee’s composition. The source stated the list of names is “almost ready,” adding, “hamas, along with the other factions, proposed 40 names. There is absolutely no veto over them and none of them belong to Hamas.”
