In a joint press conference with the Ukrainian foreign minister on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that the Biden administration will not support any Israeli presence in Gaza when the current war ends.
"We’ve been very clear that when it comes to the future of Gaza, we do not support and will not support an Israeli reoccupation. We also, of course, do not support Hamas governance in Gaza. We know and have seen where that’s led all too many times for the people of Gaza and for Israel," Blinken told reporters.
The statement reaffirms White House demands that the Palestinian Authority be permitted to assume the governance of all of their territories at the conclusion of the hostilities.
The comments come on the same day that Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, also demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commit to a postwar policy of Palestinian administration in the coastal enclave, as some nationalist elements in the Knesset demand an annexation of the land.
In November, the prime minister stated that the Jewish state would indefinitely control the security in the area, limiting any local contributions to a capability necessary to maintain public order.
Related Story: ‘There is a Disagreement’: Netanyahu Smacks Down Biden’s Postwar Plans for Gaza Governance
