Time after the war
Biden wants to reunite the Gaza Strip and the West Bank
November 18, 2023, 10:54 p.m
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Israel’s goal is the destruction of Hamas. But what could the future look like in the Gaza Strip if the strike against the terrorist organization is successful? American President Biden is in favor of unification with the West Bank. Israel’s head of state Netanyahu is skeptical.
With a view to the post-war period, US President Joe Biden has spoken out in favor of reunifying the Palestinian territories under the umbrella of a new Palestinian authority. “The Gaza Strip and the West Bank should be reunited under a unified governance structure, ultimately a revitalized Palestinian Authority,” he wrote in a published piece for The Washington Post. This should happen “as we all work towards a two-state solution.”
This envisages the establishment of a Palestinian state that coexists peacefully with Israel and has been discussed for decades. Biden released his statement six weeks after the start of the war between Israel and the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas. He had promised Israel that his land would be “rock-solid and unshakeable”.
“A two-state solution is the only way to guarantee long-term security for the Israeli and Palestinian people,” Biden wrote. “While it may currently seem that such a future is further away than ever, this crisis has made it more imperative than ever.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is skeptical about the demands. “I think that the Palestinian Authority in its current form is not capable of taking responsibility for Gaza,” Netanyahu said in Tel Aviv.
Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007
On October 7th, hundreds of fighters from Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the USA and the EU, attacked Israel and committed atrocities there, mostly against civilians. According to Israeli figures, around 1,200 people were killed in Israel and around 240 people were taken hostage to the Gaza Strip.
In response, Israel began massive counterattacks on targets in the Gaza Strip, and ground troops have now moved into the area. These are now said to be in the center of Gaza City and Hamas has lost control of the northern Gaza Strip.
Hamas took power in the Gaza Strip in 2007 after fighting with supporters of Fatah from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Fatah rules the West Bank.