Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, a close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, discussed new proposals for the "day after" in Gaza at a secret meeting held last week in Abu Dhabi. The discussions involved senior officials from the U.S. and the UAE, according to The Washington Post.
The secret trip to Abu Dhabi was first reported by Israel Hayom.
Participants discussed the potential role of a "reformed" Palestinian Authority in Gaza and the invitation of moderate Arab states, Europe, and developing countries to provide forces under a "stabilization mandate" in Gaza. They also considered a list of new potential leaders for the Palestinian Authority, with former Prime Minister Salam Fayyad being the leading candidate.
The essence of the proposal is to establish a "reformed" Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza, which could invite international forces to assist with security and humanitarian aid. This would occur during a "stabilization mandate" that could last up to a year. The UAE prefers Fayyad to lead the new leadership in Gaza. According to the report, the Israeli side did not rule out the idea.
The host of the talks was Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's Foreign Minister, and the American representative was Brett McGurk, the National Security Council's Middle East policy coordinator under President Biden.
The meeting was initiated by the UAE government, which developed relations with Israel and Netanyahu during the Abraham Accords negotiations in 2020 at the end of President Donald Trump's term. In some respects, this dialogue can be described, according to The Washington Post, as a "renewed Abraham Accord."
According to a source in the UAE, the meeting stemmed from frustration over the deadlock in discussions about the "day after." Bin Zayed Al Nahyan suggested ideas on how to manage security and political issues after the war ends, in what the Biden administration describes as the second phase of its ceasefire plan.
