Palestinian factions discuss future Gaza governance in closed-door Cairo meeting - Washington Post

The discussions, initiated at Egypt’s behest, aimed to reach a consensus on the key features of a proposed technocratic committee to run Gaza.

Officials involved in the talks suggested a limited agreement between Fatah and Hamas, given their fierce rivalry dating back to Hamas's birth in 1987 and the bloody 2007 takeover of Gaza, would be a historic development.

Excluding the ideological group entirely, observers argued, risks a protracted post-war insurgency or an even more radical manifestation of the organization.

"The last thing you want is for an ideological (terrorist) movement like Hamas to be completely excluded and forced underground," Dimitri Diliani, a spokesman for Fatah, was quoted as saying, adding that it is important Hamas "feel involved in the political process, while at the same time having no direct practical role in governance itself."

The discussions center on several pivotal questions, such as who will head the proposed technocratic committee, whether the de facto cabinet will operate under the aegis of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA), and whether the new administration will handle policing and law enforcement, potentially supplanting any proposed multinational stabilization force.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty confirmed the goal is to empower a committee composed entirely of Gazan technocrats. "The main objective is to empower the Palestinians, including the Palestinian Authority, to be able to run Gaza as an integral part of the West Bank," he said, according to the report.

Fatah officials, including its spokesman Abdulfattah Dola, insist the new committee must be officially subordinate to the PA to "consecrate the principle of one authority and one [point of] reference within the institutions of the State of Palestine.”

The PA has reportedly suggested Maged Abu Ramadan, the Palestinian health minister in the West Bank, lead the Gazan administration, though this proposal has met internal objections.

For Israel, nearly every aspect of the Palestinian talks is unpalatable, from Hamas's involvement in the committee's formation to the potential retention of Hamas-affiliated bureaucrats or security forces.

Michael Milshtein, a former Israeli military intelligence analyst, articulated the core fear: “The fear for Israel is that Hamas will open the gates of Gaza and say to the PA, ‘You’re the boss here. Just bring money to Gaza... Just don’t touch weapons, and we’ll be the dominant player.”

Ironically, the PA, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, shares a significant anxiety with Israel. According to Khaled Okasha, an Egyptian consultant, the PA "fears there is a US-Hamas agreement behind the scenes" and "wants more than Israel does that Hamas is totally removed from Gaza." Fatah officials reportedly fear they will be forced into a deal “more favorable to Hamas,” which is emerging from the war “with momentum.”

The emerging Gazan administration, should it be formed, will ultimately require a "thumbs-up or thumbs-down" from the United States and the Trump administration, whose existing plan calls for a new administration.

Daniel Shapiro, a former US ambassador, warned that the resulting government might still work in the terror group’s favor, according to the report: "There is a risk that the end state that emerges will be what we wanted to avoid... Hamas is battered and bruised but hanging on to power, preparing for the next round.”