Arab forces and civilian rule by technocrats headed by a Palestinian governor is the Arab proposal

In the past few days, contacts at the highest official level have been held between Turkey and Egypt to achieve more flexible political goals and set humanitarian conditions to overcome the dilemma of ending any role of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. As well as to prepare the entry of Arab forces who would later hand over governance to the Palestinian Authority.

Turkey displaces Qatar

The chaos created by the fierce conflict between the Iranian wing and the other - loyal to the"Muslim Brotherhood", in the leadership of"Hamas" led Ankara to join a new mediation initiative after concluding that Doha was unable to change the movement's position on the cessation of hostilities in the sector. This development coincided with the expansion of the investigation into the case known in the media as"Qatargate". The scandal erupted after information published in Israeli media that a former Mossad employee was questioned about services provided to Qatar while he was part of the negotiating team.

Turkey's serious efforts could lead to a change in the course of negotiations to end the war in two main ways. The first is negotiations between Hamas and Cairo after the cessation of military operations, and the second way brings together the movement and Tel Aviv in coordination with Cairo. This undertaking is at the expense of Qatar's role and influence in the movement, not eliminating it completely, but competing with it, due to the US desire to replace Qatar's role with Turkey, which is more capable of exerting pressure on Hamas.

The future of Qatar's role has become limited in the context of new negotiating terms that go beyond the stubborn positions of Benjamin Netanyahu's government and meet international demands to end Hamas rule and its presence in the sector, especially after the movement and the Muslim Brotherhood failed to shift responsibility for the humanitarian crisis in the sector to Egypt and Jordan.

The role that Qatar has played over the past two decades in developing policy approaches has complicated not only the Gaza crisis, but also a number of conflicts in the region, including Lebanon, the Arab Spring revolutions, and the conflicts in Libya, Sudan, and Yemen. In many cases, Doha's intervention in these processes was aimed at creating an alternative influence through Islamists to compete with that of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and other Arab countries.

Arab diplomacy and its projects, however, will soon face challenges stemming from Qatar's continued actions aimed at undermining the successes achieved, after regional and international events gave Doha the opportunity to play a parallel role at the expense of joint Arab efforts. Qatar possesses the most powerful weapon - the Al Jazeera television channel, which has become a tool in the hands of Islamists for spreading anti-Western and anti-Israeli propaganda and interfering in disputes in Arab countries!

The growing international trend towards recognizing a Palestinian state, conditional on ending Hamas, is a direct result of Arab diplomacy led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This trend will not only lead to the end of the movement, but will also destroy any future influence of Qatar on the Palestinian political scene. Doha, which previously supported the Hamas government, will not accept being excluded from its role in this crisis without receiving benefits and dividends that would ensure the continuation of its influence through the movement in the period after any ceasefire agreement.

This approach threatens to undermine the Arab role in the future of Gaza. According to observers, Qatar will try to preserve this strategic"card", one of the most important levers in the political game in the Middle East.

Along with the continuation of negotiations for a ceasefire agreement and the announcement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of his plan for control (occupation) of the Gaza Strip, the proposal to create a joint Arab military force to maintain civilian governance of the sector after the war has ended has resurfaced.

Under Netanyahu's plan for control of the sector, which has so far met with international and domestic opposition, Israeli forces would occupy the entire Gaza Strip, completely eliminate the Hamas movement, and then hand over control to Arab forces.

At its latest meeting, Israel's ministerial security council approved a plan to control Gaza City without mentioning details about occupying the entire strip. On Wednesday, Israel's chief of staff approved the"basic idea" for controlling Gaza City.

The Palestinian news agency Ma'an cited sources as saying that among the main elements of the agreement, which is currently being negotiated with US support, are an end to the war and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, the entry of Arab forces under US control, and the appointment of a Palestinian governor to be responsible for civil affairs and maintaining order, as well as overseeing the reconstruction process in the sector.

Interesting ideas, complex processes

In an interview with the BBC, former British Foreign Secretary for the Middle East Alistair Burt described the proposal to create an Arab force to provide security in the Gaza Strip after the war as"the most practical solution", but its implementation"is not easy". Burt said:"There needs to be full agreement with Hamas on this issue, because I don't think any Arab country would risk sending its own forces while the conflict is going on. The Arab countries need to have guarantees that they will not be attacked by the rest of Hamas." He added that the most important issues facing such a force are related to "Israel's security and who will guarantee it, and how Israel will be protected so that the events of October 7 are not repeated". Burt describes the situation in the Gaza Strip as"a security nightmare for any force," as Gaza "is full of gangs, weapons, and looting, and the primary goal of any force will be to stop the looting, to stop the attacks with weapons on people, and to return life to normal, and that is a task that will not be accomplished quickly, it could take generations."

Reaching a comprehensive agreement requires reaching an understanding on the issues on which Israel and Hamas disagree."The issues that Hamas is raising and Israel is rejecting are the delivery of humanitarian aid, the withdrawal from the sector and the cessation of military operations to begin reconstruction."

The Israeli side demands the disarmament of Hamas, the withdrawal of its leaders from the sector, and the creation of a government that belongs neither to Hamas nor to Fatah.

The issue of the entry of humanitarian aid and the return of hostages will not be subject to dispute within the framework of the comprehensive agreement.

Who will be the governor of Gaza?

As soon as news of Samir Khalil's election as governor of Gaza after the war broke, the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah rejected the proposal and denied that the appointment of a Palestinian figure to govern the sector had taken place with the knowledge of the Palestinian leadership. A source in the president's office said that the information spread by the Israeli media on this issue was"false" and stressed that the only party authorized to govern the Gaza Strip is the Palestinian Authority, represented by the government or by the agreed administrative commission headed by a government minister. The presidency confirmed that"any other action is considered a deviation from the national line and is in line with the wishes of the occupying forces, which seek to separate Gaza from the West Bank and displace its inhabitants," stressing that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of Palestinian land.

In a statement this week, Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdel Atty said that Egypt would not oppose the deployment of international forces in the Gaza Strip to enable the Palestinian Authority to establish a state and to guarantee the security of all parties.

Additionally, during a meeting with foreign correspondents in Egypt on Tuesday, the Egyptian minister said that there is a group of 15 independent Palestinian public figures who are ready to govern the sector for a transitional period of six months after the end of the war, after which the autonomy will assume responsibility for governing the sector.

In this context, and as negotiations are underway over the form and nature of the authority that will govern Gaza on the day after the war, the investigative website Shomrim (The Watchmen) and the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed on Wednesday that behind-the-scenes efforts are being made to form a new government in the Gaza Strip. This time, the spotlight is on Palestinian businessman Samir Khalilah. The Qatari-funded newspaper Al-Arabi Jadid said that the efforts are being led by several individuals, the most prominent of whom is Israeli Ari Ben Menashe, who is working from Canada to appoint Palestinian businessman Samir Khalilah, who lives in Ramallah, as governor of the Gaza Strip. According to the media outlet, documents from the US Department of Justice show that Ben Menashe was registered as a lobbyist in Khalilah's favor several months ago and that he is leading a PR campaign aimed at getting Khalilah the support of American circles in Congress.

Arab media reports that all participants in the conflict between Israel and Hamas prefer that Gaza be governed by a Palestinian figure working under the auspices of the US and the Arab League.

The selection of Samir Khalilah began last year at the end of former US President Joe Biden's term, but the momentum that gave impetus to the initiative came after Trump returned to the White House on January 20. Other documents presented last week indicate that Ben Menashe held talks on the subject with representatives of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

In a statement to Al-Arabiya TV, Samir Khalilah said that the first necessary step is the commitment of the parties to a permanent ceasefire and an end to the war, because according to him,"only then can we talk about tomorrow," and when that happens, he sees himself as the"project manager" for the reconstruction of Gaza. His plan includes"the delivery of large quantities of aid, no less than 600 to 1,000 trucks a day, and the opening of no less than four or five free crossings for goods that Israel cannot restrict."

He adds that it is necessary to restore law and order in the sector because "people need to feel that there is authority - not the authority of the Palestinian Authority, nor that of Hamas, but an authority that must be respected." Khalila emphasizes that "the sector cannot remain full of weapons left over from Hamas or Islamic Jihad, because people need a sense of security in their homes." The next phase, according to Khalila, will be the infusion of huge funds into the sector. According to him, the restoration requires an investment of $53 billion:"We have identified the Gulf countries that are ready to invest, but the United States and the European Union must also invest large sums."

Samir Khalila reiterates that nothing will change until the war is over, but he says there is a glimmer of hope. According to him, in recent days Israel has for the first time agreed to discuss an end to the war, not just a temporary ceasefire, in coordination with the United States.

In an interview with the Al-Arabi Jadid website, Khalilah confirmed the veracity of the published report about the behind-the-scenes attempt to appoint him as governor of the Gaza Strip the day after the war, adding:"I was contacted in July 2024, and since then there have been ongoing discussions about the form of government and its relationship to the issue of security, as well as the issue of the entry of Arab and international security forces into the Gaza Strip."

Khalilah pointed out that the topic of his appointment was more broadly specified "after the issuance of decisions by the Arab countries in particular", since, according to him, the latter have determined a mechanism for governing the Gaza Strip, by agreement between them and the Palestinian Authority" and added: "But this topic still needs additional agreement from Israel, Hamas, and the United States of America. He emphasized that he is not a politician and does not represent any political force". Those who are negotiating are the Palestinian Authority, Israel, Hamas, etc. I want to get everyone's agreement. There are people who agree and there are people who do not."

Regarding Hamas's position on this proposal and whether the movement would object to the transfer of power in Gaza, Khalilah said:"I personally have not contacted them, but the US administration has contacted Hamas and the issue will be resolved in agreement with the movement as an integral part of the subject."

Khalilah has come under sharp criticism from the Palestinian Authority and the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who accused him of"circumventing" the official policy of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. A statement published by the Palestinian News Agency (Wafa) said that"the statements made by Samir Khalilah on behalf of the Palestinian National Authority and its senior representatives are a shameful attempt to circumvent the official position of the Palestinian National Authority, which demonstrates its intransigence to the separation of Gaza from the West Bank within the framework of an Israeli project."

Who is Samir Khalila

Khalila was born in 1957 in the West Bank city of Ariha, studied in Ramallah, where he received a bachelor's degree in sociology and Middle Eastern studies from the Palestine University in the West Bank in 1981, and then a master's degree in economics from the American University of Beirut in 1983. In 1984, he worked as a lecturer at Bir Zit University, where he became dean of student affairs.

Samir Khalila is one of the most prominent Palestinian economists, as well as a prominent businessman in the Palestinian Authority. He has held a number of economic and political positions, being part of the Palestinian delegation for economic negotiations on agreements with the Israeli government from 1991 to 1997. He was Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade until 1997.

Khalila served as Secretary General of the Palestinian Government in 2005 in the office of the late Ahmed Qurei until March 2006. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Palestinian Institute for Economic Research, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Palestinian Trade Center (Bal Trade), and CEO of the Palestinian Development and Investment Company (PADICO), which is one of the largest companies operating in the Palestinian Authority.

In August 2022, Khalila was elected chairman of the board of directors of the Palestine Stock Exchange and remained in that position until March 2025. In 2023, he was elected a member of the board of directors of the real estate company Arkan Real Estate.