Latest news with #SimchaRothman
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Knesset approves declaratory measure to apply Israeli sovereignty to West Bank
According to Israeli law, the current status of the territories it captured from Jordan in the Six-Day War, save for east Jerusalem, is that of a 'temporary belligerent occupation.' Following a long debate in the plenum, the Knesset approved a declaratory resolution on Wednesday in support of 'applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.' The vote passed by a large margin, 71-13, with six votes coming from the opposition Yisrael Beytenu party and four from United Torah Judaism, despite the latter having left the coalition and government on July 14. Opposition parties Yesh Atid and Blue and White did not participate in the vote, and the Democrats, Ra'am, and Hadash-Ta'al voted against the resolution. The vote was categorized as a 'debate on a topic that the Knesset decided to place on the agenda' without any operational or legislative consequences. Proposed by Knesset Land of Israel caucus leaders MKs Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party), Dan Illouz (Likud), and Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit), the resolution states as follows: 'The Knesset affirms that the State of Israel has a natural, historical, and legal right to the entirety of the Land of Israel – the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people.' 'The Knesset calls upon the cabinet of Israel to act promptly to extend Israeli sovereignty, including law, jurisdiction, and administration, over all areas of Jewish communities, in all its forms, in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley. This action will strengthen the State of Israel and its security, and will safeguard the fundamental right of the Jewish people to peace and security in their homeland.' 'On behalf of the Jewish people living in Zion, we call upon our friends around the world to stand with the desire to return to Zion and the vision of the prophets, and to support the State of Israel in exercising its natural, historical, and legal right to the Land of Israel and in implementing Israel's sovereignty.' According to the resolution's preamble, 'Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley are an inseparable part of the Land of Israel – the historical, cultural, and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people. Centuries and millennia before the establishment of the State of Israel, the patriarchs, prophets, and founders of the Jewish nation lived and acted in these regions. Cities such as Hebron, Shechem (Nablus), Shiloh, and Beit El are not merely historic sites – they are living symbols of the continuous Jewish presence in the Holy Land.' The preface continued, 'Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria is an integral part of fulfilling Zionism and the national vision of the Jewish people returning to their ancestral homeland. The October 7, 2023, massacre demonstrated that the establishment of a Palestinian state poses an existential threat to Israel, its citizens, and the stability of the entire region.' 'On July 18, 2024, the Knesset declared its opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River, stating that such a state would endanger the State of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and undermine regional stability. This resolution effectively removed the concept of a Palestinian state from the agenda,' the preamble concluded. In his speech presenting the resolution, Rothman alluded to the July 2024 resolution. 'A year ago, my colleagues and I, as members of the Knesset Land of Israel caucus, had the privilege of advancing a historic resolution in this house – a resolution by which the Knesset firmly rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea,' Rothman said. 'For many painful years, both the State of Israel and the international community were misled by 'the PLO's Staged Plan' for the destruction of Israel and the Zionist enterprise. From the days of the Oslo Accords, through the 2005 Disengagement from the Gaza Strip, and via various diplomatic initiatives, the notion of establishing a terrorist state in the heart of our land loomed dangerously,' he added. 'But the people of Israel awoke. And you, my fellow members of this honorable house, stood together and declared before the Angel of Destruction: Enough! No more! We removed the idea of a Palestinian state from the national and global agenda through a principled, clear, and resolute declaration by the Knesset,' Rothman said. The MK refuted the claim that the vote was meaningless since it was merely declaratory. 'Indeed, a Knesset resolution does not itself implement sovereignty,' he said. 'According to Israeli law, only the government, using an executive order, or the Knesset via formal legislation, can extend Israeli law, jurisdiction, and administration to parts of the Land of Israel.' 'But even as a declaration, this resolution carries immense meaning. It expresses our unbreakable bond with the Land of Israel, the cradle of Jewish civilization. It reflects the national aspiration to realize the return to Zion. It calls upon the Israeli government to act without delay, by its authority, to transform vision into reality,' Rothman said. 'It also calls upon Israel's friends worldwide to stand behind the moral, legal, historical, religious, and cultural right of the Jewish people – and its nation-state – to the entire Land of Israel, and to support the demand that the Jewish people be sovereign in their homeland,' he continued. In his speech during the opening of the debate, Illouz said in English, 'Today, for the first time ever, the Knesset is officially expressing its support for applying sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. Judea and Samaria are not bargaining chips; they are the very heart of our ancestral homeland, the very places where our ancestors walked.' 'Sovereignty is not merely a political stance; it represents victory, identity, and lasting security in the Middle East,' he said. 'Across the world, nations respect those who stand firmly for their values. I call for sovereignty now with pride, with resolve, and without hesitation.' Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid said in a statement at the start of the debate, 'The coalition's attempt to inflate a procedural motion – an event with no legal significance– is a pathetic and ridiculous effort to divert attention from the political reality that tonight, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will dismiss the chairperson of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee amid a war, simply because he refused to promote draft evasion.' 'It won't help them. The disgrace is theirs to bear,' he said. According to Israeli law, the current status of the territories it captured from Jordan in the Six Day War, save for east Jerusalem, is that of a 'temporary belligerent occupation,' and the legal governor of the territories is the IDF Central Command's commanding officer. During the Oslo Accords signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the 1990s, the territories were split into three different designations – Area A, chiefly Palestinian towns and cities that are under full security and civilian control of the PA; Area B, which is under Israel's security control but the Palestinians' civil control; and Area C, which is under Israeli security and civilian control. Half a million Israeli settlers live in the West Bank Israel's approximately 500,000 settlers reside primarily in Area C. Israel views the majority of its settlements as legal under domestic law, built on state land and according to legally viable government decisions. A majority of international organizations view the settlements as a violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which outlaws settling civilians in conquered territory. Israel has said in its defense that Israeli citizens were neither deported nor transferred to the territories, and that the territory is not occupied since there had been no internationally recognized legal sovereign there prior. In 2024, the International Court of Justice in The Hague issued an advisory opinion that Israel's presence in the West Bank was no longer temporary and therefore unlawful under international law. Solve the daily Crossword
Arab News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israel opposition chief asks Trump not to ‘interfere' in Netanyahu trial
JERUSALEM: Israel's opposition leader on Thursday criticized US President Donald Trump for saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long-running corruption trial should be canceled, warning him against interfering in internal affairs. Trump on Wednesday described the case against Netanyahu as a 'witch hunt,' echoing the Israeli premier's dismissal of the corruption charges which he has flatly rejected. In a message on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the Netanyahu trial 'should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero,' after the end of a 12-day war with Iran. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said in an interview with news website Ynet: 'We are thankful to President Trump, but... the president should not interfere in a judicial trial in an independent country.' Lapid, of the center-right Yesh Atid party, backed a statement by one of Netanyahu's coalition allies, Simcha Rothman of the far-right Religious Zionism party, who called for Trump to stay out of the court case. 'It is not the role of the president of the United States to interfere in legal proceedings in the State of Israel,' said Rothman, who chairs the Israeli parliament's judicial affairs committee. Rothman, a vocal critic of what he argues is judicial overreach, however said that 'the management of Netanyahu's cases is transforming the image of the State of Israel from a regional and global power into a banana republic.' National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the leader of another far-right party in Netnayhua's coalition, branded the trial as politically motivated. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said it was 'distorted, unreasonable, contrary to the basic sense of justice' to continue Netanyahu's trial at war, backing Trump's call to drop the charges against the Israeli leader. Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving prime minister. During his current term since late 2022, his government has proposed a series of far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say were designed to weaken the courts. In the trial that has been delayed many times since it began in May 2020, Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing. In a first case, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewelry and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favors. Two other cases allege that Netanyahu attempted to negotiate more favorable coverage in two Israeli media outlets. Netanyahu has requested multiple postponements in the proceedings, most recently citing the ongoing war in Gaza since April 2023, later in Lebanon and earlier this month in Iran.
Al Arabiya
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Israel opposition chief asks Trump not to ‘interfere' in Netanyahu trial
Israel's opposition leader on Thursday criticized US President Donald Trump for saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long-running corruption trial should be cancelled, warning him against interfering in internal affairs. Trump on Wednesday described the case against Netanyahu as a 'witch hunt,' echoing the Israeli premier's dismissal of the corruption charges which he has flatly rejected. In a message on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the Netanyahu trial 'should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero,' after the end of a 12-day war with Iran. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said in an interview with news website Ynet: 'We are thankful to President Trump, but... the president should not interfere in a judicial trial in an independent country.' Lapid, of the center-right Yesh Atid party, backed a statement by one of Netanyahu's coalition allies, Simcha Rothman of the far-right Religious Zionism party, who called for Trump to stay out of the court case. 'It is not the role of the president of the United States to interfere in legal proceedings in the State of Israel,' said Rothman, who chairs the Israeli parliament's judicial affairs committee. Rothman, a vocal critic of what he argues is judicial overreach, however said that 'the management of Netanyahu's cases is transforming the image of the State of Israel from a regional and global power into a banana republic.' National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the leader of another far-right party in Netanyahu's coalition, branded the trial as politically motivated. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said it was 'distorted, unreasonable, contrary to the basic sense of justice' to continue Netanyahu's trial at war, backing Trump's call to drop the charges against the Israeli leader. Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving prime minister. During his current term since late 2022, his government has proposed a series of far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say were designed to weaken the courts. In the trial that has been delayed many times since it began in May 2020, Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing. In a first case, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewelry and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favors. Two other cases allege that Netanyahu attempted to negotiate more favorable coverage in two Israeli media outlets. Netanyahu has requested multiple postponements in the proceedings, most recently citing the ongoing war in Gaza since April 2023, later in Lebanon and earlier this month in Iran.
Saudi Gazette
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Israeli proposal details possible plan to rule Gaza after Hamas
BRUSSELS — The Israeli government has on its table a proposal on creating a new entity from scratch in Gaza after it defeats Hamas, a document seen by Euronews dated December 2023 reveals. The proposal, in the form of a 32-page academic paper titled 'Gaza Security and Recovery Program, How Should The Day After Look Like,' was authored by the Israel Defense and Security Forum — a group of over 35,000 Israeli security force reservists — and the well-established think tank Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. The study was presented to the Israeli government at an unknown date between its creation and now, and represents one of the future options currently under consideration by Israel for the Gaza Strip, according to officials who talked to Euronews. The proposal depicts what 'the day after' should look like in the scenario of the fall of Hamas. It entails economic reconstruction, building infrastructure and, as the authors of the study say, 'uprooting a murderous ideology,' also labeled as a process of 'de-nazification'. 'In order to prepare for the new state of affairs, even though the results of the military operation have not yet been achieved, it is necessary to prepare an orderly plan for the control of the Gaza Strip after the fall of Hamas,' the document reads. The plan explicitly excludes the sovereignty of Palestine, or more specifically the Palestinian Authority (PA), or the presence of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as a source for humanitarian aid.'No less serious is the foolhardy idea of establishing a Palestinian state in Gaza," the document it is not said in the document whether Israel intends to annex the Strip, although it is clearly stated that Israeli Security Forces (IDF) want to have a greater say in the overall administration of Gaza's document's authenticity was confirmed by one senior government official who talked to Euronews on the condition of anonymity to avoid interfering with the government's work, as well as Ohad Tal and Simcha Rothman, two Knesset members of the far-right National Religious Party, which is part of the ruling coalition.'The contents in this paper are part of the plans the government is looking at, they are on the table,' the senior government official confirmed to official specified that it is not a "finalized plan," however, it is "definitely part of the scenarios that are on the table"."This plan is on the table and consistent with the direction the government is going," Tal told Euronews that, while the plan remains a "moving target," the framework outlined criteria, such as "elimination of Hamas, no PA (Palestinian Authority) presence in Gaza, no Palestinian state, no UNWRA, (are) consistent with my approach and to the best of my knowledge, with the approach of the government."Euronews contacted the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for comment, but has not received a response by the time of paper says the new entity, initially managed by the IDF, should establish a new mechanism for reconstruction, economic development, aid management and 're-education' of Gaza's parts of the proposal obtained by Euronews and the Israeli government's actions announced at the beginning of May might be going in the same 5 May, the Israeli government gave the green light to the IDF to start a massive operation to take control of the whole Gaza. The decision came shortly after the military announced the mobilization of tens of thousands of the same day, Netanyahu announced that further displacement of the 2.1 million Gaza residents has to be expected as a result of the massive ground operations that have detailed study dates back to roughly two months after 7 October 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities at the border with Gaza, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 Israeli military says it has killed some 20,000 Hamas combatants, while also reporting around 3,000 dead and wounded among its the proposal, there is no reference to the Israeli terrorist attack triggered the Israel-Hamas war in the Strip, in which 52,000 Palestinians lost their lives, according to the latest figures from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant two sources familiar with the document, who spoke to Euronews under the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the study's conception predates Hamas' 7 October attack, but it was imagined more for the West Bank, rather than for proposal is divided into three different stages, where the first two are considered the most important, where the Israelis are foreseen to extensively take over and manage the Strip, creating a new entity from though the document envisages a third, long-term stage in which there is space left for the self-determination of those residing in the Strip, it would happen only after a complete erasure of the current Hamas-run Gaza network is finalised.'It would be wrong to put the cart before the horse, and it would be similarly wrong to predetermine, for the Gazan population and its leadership its political future,' since the focus for Israel is not Palestinians' self-determination but rather 'ending Hamas rule,' the document the scenario of the fall of Hamas, the IDF would aim to temporarily take over the whole Gaza Strip, having free movement on the ground while obtaining complete control of the 12-kilometer border between Gaza and Egypt, including the Rafah IDF has already partially done what is mentioned in the proposal, creating a buffer zone alongside some portions of the border. Since early April, the Israeli military has already taken control of roughly half of widen the buffer zone, the IDF systematically demolished all infrastructure, making the portion of the territory uninhabitable.A 'buffer zone along the border with Israel' must be established, where the 'Palestinian traffic will not be permitted,' the document this first stage, 'It may be necessary to impose martial law', the document reads, with the IDF taking over all the civilian affairs, until a new 'mechanism' is established. This period could last a few months up to a year, according to the the second phase, the Israeli government would establish five administrative autonomous councils. The proposal suggests these should be called 'Northern Gaza Strip, Gaza City, Central Gaza Strip, Khan Yunis and Rafah'.The councils would be tasked with managing civilian life in Gaza after meeting certain preconditions, such as not being related to 'terror-Palestinian factions', recognising the state of Israel and taking part in a re-educational plan also called the 'de-nazification' over education is a key part of the study, according to which the councils are meant to have a 'meaningful supervision' of what is happening not only in classrooms but also during extracurricular activities in which Israel would have greater would also establish an International Managerial Directorate (IMD) for aid, reconstruction and supervision of the administrative would be formed not only by the Israeli government, which should be the major player, according to the a significant and complex part of the proposal, the IMD would include the US, some European countries 'such as Germany, France, the UK and Italy' as well as 'pragmatic Sunni countries.'In the document, Israel suggested it should make the IMD the only source of aid for the local administrative councils. The assistance, such as direct 'aid money to economic growth and reconstruction of infrastructures' would be conditional on specific criteria, including the implementation of re-educational plans.'In any event, aid and reconstruction will be given in congruence with the principle of the plan and of the de-radicalization and denazification process in the education system, the media and society,' says the already publicly proposed to manage aid flow to Gaza, as detailed in the document obtained by 2 March, aid flow has stopped for Gaza residents, creating a situation that the UN described as a catastrophe, since people are running out of food and early April, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that 'Gaza is a killing field, and civilians are in an endless death loop.'The UN criticised the Israeli proposal to control humanitarian aid in Gaza by routing it through military-run hubs, warning it would endanger civilians and aid workers, cut off vulnerable populations from aid, and increase forced has repeatedly accused Hamas militants of abusing the aid influx for their personal gain and to further strengthen the the proposal, the Israeli government was suggested it should put in place a blacklist of organizations that 'must not receive aid,' or cannot UN is one of the intergovernmental organizations which Israel does not want in the Gaza Strip. However, the document leaves open the possibility for the presence of the UN agency for refugees, document says Israel should favor the deployment of a team modeled after the Multinational Force and Observers in Sinai, a peacekeeping organization established in 1982 with US support to monitor the demilitarisation of the Sinai Peninsula under the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace the other phases are completed, a third phase in which the Palestinians can self-determine is presented as a possibility, even though it is not detailed in the proposal.'The proposed plan puts no actual obstacle before the Palestinians' ability to achieve self-determination once they recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people and abandon the path of terrorism,' the document study says it would be premature to decide Gaza's political future, as Israel's priority is ending Hamas' rule, not Palestinian European Union is the primary donor to the Palestinians and supports a future for Gaza under the leadership of a reformed PA and with the presence of proposal heavily criticizes the European Union for its positions and says that it should not take part in the reconstruction.'There is no intention of including the European Union as a partner, but only a small number of European countries. We recommend including the countries that are most influential in Europe and that currently support Israel in its war against Hamas: countries such as Germany, France, the UK, and Italy,' the study document goes even further, saying that its implementation does not need international cooperation, although it might help.'This plan does not depend on recognition or international cooperation. Israel can carry out the plan in Gaza by itself, or with only a handful of partners and/or supporters. But broad recognition and cooperation would undeniably help the plan to succeed more quickly and efficiently,' it states. — Euronews
Euronews
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Exclusive: Israeli proposal details possible post-Hamas Gaza plan
The Israeli government has on its table a proposal on creating a new entity from scratch in Gaza after it defeats Hamas, a document seen by Euronews dated December 2023 reveals. The proposal, in the form of a 32-page academic paper titled 'Gaza Security and Recovery Program, How Should The Day After Look Like,' was authored by the Israel Defense and Security Forum — a group of over 35,000 Israeli security force reservists — and the well-established think tank Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. The study was presented to the Israeli government at an unknown date between its creation and now, and represents one of the future options currently under consideration by Israel for the Gaza Strip, according to officials who talked to Euronews. The proposal depicts what 'the day after' should look like in the scenario of the fall of Hamas. It entails economic reconstruction, building infrastructure and, as the authors of the study say, 'uprooting a murderous ideology,' also labelled as a process of 'de-nazification'. 'In order to prepare for the new state of affairs, even though the results of the military operation have not yet been achieved, it is necessary to prepare an orderly plan for the control of the Gaza Strip after the fall of Hamas,' the document reads. The plan explicitly excludes the sovereignty of Palestine, or more specifically the Palestinian Authority (PA), or the presence of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as a source for humanitarian aid. 'No less serious is the foolhardy idea of establishing a Palestinian state in Gaza," the document reads. However, it is not said in the document whether Israel intends to annex the Strip, although it is clearly stated that Israeli Security Forces (IDF) want to have a greater say in the overall administration of Gaza's affairs. The document's authenticity was confirmed by one senior government official who talked to Euronews on the condition of anonymity to avoid interfering with the government's work, as well as Ohad Tal and Simcha Rothman, two Knesset members of the far-right National Religious Party, which is part of the ruling coalition. 'The contents in this paper are part of the plans the government is looking at, they are on the table,' the senior government official confirmed to Euronews. The official specified that it is not a "finalised plan," however, it is "definitely part of the scenarios that are on the table". "This plan is on the table and consistent with the direction the government is going," Tal confirmed. Rothman told Euronews that, while the plan remains a "moving target," the framework outlined criteria, such as "elimination of Hamas, no PA (Palestinian Authority) presence in Gaza, no Palestinian state, no UNWRA, (are) consistent with my approach and to the best of my knowledge, with the approach of the government." Euronews contacted the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for comment, but has not received a response by the time of publication. The paper says the new entity, initially managed by the IDF, should establish a new mechanism for reconstruction, economic development, aid management and 're-education' of Gaza's society. Some parts of the proposal obtained by Euronews and the Israeli government's actions announced at the beginning of May might be going in the same direction. On 5 May, the Israeli government gave the green light to the IDF to start a massive operation to take control of the whole Gaza. The decision came shortly after the military announced the mobilisation of tens of thousands of reservists. On the same day, Netanyahu announced that further displacement of the 2.1 million Gaza residents has to be expected as a result of the massive ground operations that have started. The detailed study dates back to roughly two months after 7 October 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities at the border with Gaza, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage. The Israeli military says it has killed some 20,000 Hamas combatants, while also reporting around 3,000 dead and wounded among its soldiers. In the proposal, there is no reference to the Israeli hostages. Hamas' terrorist attack triggered the Israel-Hamas war in the Strip, in which 52,000 Palestinians lost their lives, according to the latest figures from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. However, two sources familiar with the document, who spoke to Euronews under the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the study's conception predates Hamas' 7 October attack, but it was imagined more for the West Bank, rather than for Gaza. The proposal is divided into three different stages, where the first two are considered the most important, where the Israelis are foreseen to extensively take over and manage the Strip, creating a new entity from scratch. Even though the document envisages a third, long-term stage in which there is space left for the self-determination of those residing in the Strip, it would happen only after a complete erasure of the current Hamas-run Gaza network is finalised. 'It would be wrong to put the cart before the horse, and it would be similarly wrong to predetermine, for the Gazan population and its leadership its political future,' since the focus for Israel is not Palestinians' self-determination but rather 'ending Hamas rule,' the document says. In the scenario of the fall of Hamas, the IDF would aim to temporarily take over the whole Gaza Strip, having free movement on the ground while obtaining complete control of the 12-kilometre border between Gaza and Egypt, including the Rafah crossing. The IDF has already partially done what is mentioned in the proposal, creating a buffer zone alongside some portions of the border. Since early April, the Israeli military has already taken control of roughly half of Gaza. To widen the buffer zone, the IDF systematically demolished all infrastructure, making the portion of the territory uninhabitable. A 'buffer zone along the border with Israel' must be established, where the 'Palestinian traffic will not be permitted,' the document says. In this first stage, 'It may be necessary to impose martial law', the document reads, with the IDF taking over all the civilian affairs, until a new 'mechanism' is established. This period could last a few months up to a year, according to the study. In the second phase, the Israeli government would establish five administrative autonomous councils. The proposal suggests these should be called 'Northern Gaza Strip, Gaza City, Central Gaza Strip, Khan Yunis and Rafah'. The councils would be tasked with managing civilian life in Gaza after meeting certain preconditions, such as not being related to 'terror-Palestinian factions', recognising the state of Israel and taking part in a re-educational plan also called the 'de-nazification' process. Control over education is a key part of the study, according to which the councils are meant to have a 'meaningful supervision' of what is happening not only in classrooms but also during extracurricular activities in which Israel would have greater say. Israel would also establish an International Managerial Directorate (IMD) for aid, reconstruction and supervision of the administrative councils. It would be formed not only by the Israeli government, which should be the major player, according to the document. In a significant and complex part of the proposal, the IMD would include the US, some European countries 'such as Germany, France, the UK and Italy' as well as 'pragmatic Sunni countries' such as 'Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and possibly Saudi Arabia, as part of a broader move to normalise relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.' In the document, Israel was suggested it should make the IMD the only source of aid for the local administrative councils. The assistance, such as direct 'aid money to economic growth and reconstruction of infrastructures' would be conditional on specific criteria, including the implementation of re-educational plans. 'In any event, aid and reconstruction will be given in congruence with the principle of the plan and of the de-radicalisation and denazification process in the education system, the media and society,' says the document. Israel already publicly proposed to manage aid flow to Gaza, as detailed in the document obtained by Euronews. Since 2 March, aid flow has stopped for Gaza residents, creating a situation that the UN described as a catastrophe, since people are running out of food and water. In early April, UN Secretary General António Guterres said that 'Gaza is a killing field, and civilians are in an endless death loop.' The UN criticised the Israeli proposal to control humanitarian aid in Gaza by routing it through military-run hubs, warning it would endanger civilians and aid workers, cut off vulnerable populations from aid, and increase forced displacement. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas militants of abusing the aid influx for their personal gain and to further strengthen the group. In the proposal, the Israeli government was suggested it should put in place a blacklist of organisations that 'must not receive aid,' or cannot operate. The UN is one of the intergovernmental organisations which Israel does not want in the Gaza Strip. However, the document leaves open the possibility for the presence of the UN agency for refugees, UNHCR. The document says Israel should favour the deployment of a team modelled after the Multinational Force and Observers in Sinai, a peacekeeping organisation established in 1982 with US support to monitor the demilitarisation of the Sinai Peninsula under the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty. Once the other phases are completed, a third phase in which the Palestinians can self-determine is presented as a possibility, even though it is not detailed in the proposal. 'The proposed plan puts no actual obstacle before the Palestinians' ability to achieve self-determination once they recognise Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people and abandon the path of terrorism,' the document says. The study says it would be premature to decide Gaza's political future, as Israel's priority is ending Hamas' rule, not Palestinian self-determination. The European Union is the primary donor to the Palestinians and supports a future for Gaza under the leadership of a reformed PA and with the presence of UNRWA. The proposal heavily criticises the European Union for its positions and says that it should not take part in the reconstruction. 'There is no intention of including the European Union as a partner, but only a small number of European countries. We recommend including the countries that are most influential in Europe and that currently support Israel in its war against Hamas: countries such as Germany, France, the UK, and Italy,' the study says. The document goes even further, saying that its implementation does not need international cooperation, although it might help. 'This plan does not depend on recognition or international cooperation. Israel can carry out the plan in Gaza by itself, or with only a handful of partners and/or supporters. But broad recognition and cooperation would undeniably help the plan to succeed more quickly and efficiently,' it states.
