/2024

US preparing for ‘prominent’ role in postwar Gaza - POLITICO
▻https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/23/us-postwar-gaza-00159723

Les idées des USA pour l’après Gaza.

The Biden administration is considering appointing a U.S. official to serve as the top civilian adviser to a mostly Palestinian force when the Israel-Hamas conflict ends, four U.S. officials said — a sign that the U.S. plans to be very involved in securing a post-war Gaza.

The civilian adviser would be based in the region and work closely with the commanding officer of the force, who would be either Palestinian or from an Arab nation, the people said.

Washington is still debating how much official authority this adviser would have, but all officials, granted anonymity to detail very sensitive discussions, stressed it is part of a plan for the U.S. to play a “prominent” role in lifting Gaza out of desperate chaos.

The private discussions between the White House, Pentagon and State Department regarding the adviser role — which have not been previously reported — show that the Biden administration expects to be at the center of what happens to Gaza long after the guns go quiet. The U.S. would therefore be partly responsible for what comes next, including improving the lives of 2.2 million Palestinians who are suffering in the decimated territory.

The adviser would never enter Gaza itself, the officials said — an indication of the desire to avoid any implication that the U.S. would be dictating the future of the territory.

Two officials said the adviser could be based in Sinai and another said it could be Jordan. The proposal for the adviser and peacekeeping force also has been circulating in a classified administration for months.

Biden officials are in talks with EU group to help reopen Rafah crossing - POLITICO
▻https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/22/biden-europe-open-rafah-crossing-00159466

The Biden administration is in talks with a European Union organization to potentially help open and take control of the Rafah border crossing in Gaza amid Israel’s invasion of the city, according to a senior administration official and another person familiar with the matter.

U.S. officials have for weeks worked behind the scenes, brokering talks between Israel and Egypt, to strike a deal that would put the European organization in charge of the Rafah crossing and significantly improve the flow of aid into the enclave, the people said. The Rafah crossing has been closed since Israel’s invasion of the city May 7.

In the talks, Egyptian officials have said they want the Gazans who used to run the crossing to return. Israel has argued that those who previously manned the crossing included members of Hamas — and that a new group should take over. The stalemate has significantly slowed the amount of aid getting through to Gazans amid Israel’s invasion of Rafah, threatening the return of famine-like conditions.

The U.S. is proposing bringing in a neutral third party to take control of the crossing: the European Union Border Assistance Mission to the Rafah Crossing Point. The organization previously worked at the border in Gaza but suspended its operations in 2007 after Hamas took over Gaza.

The EU Border Assistance Mission didn’t respond to a request to comment on its conversations with the Biden administration. Representatives with the European Commission also did not respond.

Israeli officials have traveled to Cairo in recent days to discuss the opening of the Rafah crossing. If they agree on EUBAM — and the group signs on to the idea — the crossing could open in the next several weeks, according to another senior U.S. official.

Biden admin openly hammering Israel’s military strategy in Gaza - POLITICO
▻https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/21/biden-admin-hammering-israel-military-strategy-gaza-00159262

Les militaires US peu convaincus par l’action militaire israélienne à Gaza.

Top officials are publicly calling Israel’s strategy in Gaza self-defeating and likely to open the door to Hamas’ return — a level of criticism of the Middle East ally not seen since the war began in October.

The officials say Israel’s government has failed to hold parts of Gaza after clearing them, has turned the civilian population and the rest of the world against it with widespread bombing and inadequate humanitarian aid, and enabled Hamas to recruit more fighters.

The U.S. for months kept any criticism private, quietly pushing Israel to shift how it retaliates against Hamas for its Oct. 7 attack that started the war. But the frustration of watching Israel refuse to change course has increasingly spilled into the open, each broadside a crowbar widening the rift between Washington and Jerusalem.

“We want to encourage a deeper focus on the connection between the ongoing military operations and, ultimately, the strategic endgame,” said a senior administration official, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive internal

Israel rebukes US calls for investigation into mass graves in Gaza - POLITICO
▻https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/26/israel-mass-graves-gaza-00154696

Israel’s military says it already looked into reports of mass graves and found no wrongdoing by its forces, even as the Biden administration calls for an investigation into the matter.

Over the past few days, U.S. officials, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan, have called for Israel to “thoroughly and transparently” investigate reports of mass graves at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, which Israeli forces last raided in February. The State Department came under fire from advocates for refusing to call for an independent investigation, instead saying the U.S. will press Israel for information.

When POLITICO asked Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Nadav Shoshani whether Israel plans on investigating, he at first waived off the question, calling the reports “fake news.”

Asked if that means Israel won’t investigate the mass grave reports, Shoshani said: “Investigate what?” He then added that Israel has already looked into the matter and found that there was no wrongdoing. “We gave answers. We don’t bury people in mass graves. Not something we do.”

Shoshani didn’t provide details of that investigation or who Israel provided answers to specifically.

“The Israelis have told us privately what they’ve said publicly, that they totally reject the allegations,” said a U.S. official, granted anonymity to detail private conversations. “We aren’t in a position to validate that, and would like a thorough and transparent investigation into the reports.” The White House and the State Department declined to comment.

At least two of the three burial sites were dug prior to Israeli troops arriving, The New York Times reported. But the Gaza Civil Defense said only about 100 people were buried in graves before the IDF raid, and a total of 392 bodies were recovered.

Israël assure préparer de nouveaux accès - L’Orient-Le Jour
▻https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1409920/aide-a-gaza-israel-assure-preparer-de-nouveaux-acces.html

« Nous prévoyons d’inonder Gaza d’aide et nous prévoyons d’atteindre 500 camions par jour », a déclaré M. Gallant aux journalistes.

More trucks are getting into Gaza, but delays at border are hindering distribution - POLITICO
▻https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/11/gaza-aid-delays-00151720

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… aid groups are still having difficulty accessing that aid, which is pooled in a restricted area on the Gazan side of the border overseen by Israel for vetting. Humanitarian organizations have to load that aid onto other trucks and can retrieve the cargo only at certain times of the day, according to four aid workers whose organizations work in Gaza.

While distributing humanitarian aid is difficult in any war zone, the aid workers, who were granted anonymity because they feared retribution by Israel, said Israel’s bureaucratic processing and rules around access are creating particularly large delays in Gaza. […]

[…]

Whatever the reason for the long delays, it could take weeks, maybe months, for the aid to reach all those who need it, including those in the northern part of the enclave who are still largely blocked off from aid delivery networks.

US says Palestinians are close to changing ‘pay for slay’ program - POLITICO
▻https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/29/us-says-palestinians-are-close-to-changing-pay-for-slay-program-00149734

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Collaboration et corruption ; l’horizon prévisible des « technocrates » de la nouvelle « Autorité palestienne ». A la demande des USA, l’AP envisage de supprimer les allocations verssées aux familles des martyrs. (C’est vrai qu’à Gaza, entre autres lieux, ça permet de faire de sérieuses économies sur celles et ceux qui restent...)

The U.S. is near a deal with the Palestinian Authority to end its contentious “martyr payments” for people who commit acts of violence against Israel, two Biden administration officials said.

That would be a key win for the multifaceted U.S. push to reform the PA — from instituting anti-corruption measures to improving basic services — so that it can take over governance of the Gaza Strip whenever the Israel-Hamas war ends.

The PA oversees parts of the West Bank, and it is seen by the Biden administration as the best option for governing Gaza in the future. But the PA is reviled by many Palestinians, as well as Israelis and Arab leaders, who see it as corrupt, inefficient and out of touch.

The “martyr payments” program financially supports Palestinians and their families if they are wounded, imprisoned or killed while carrying out acts of violence against Israel. It has long infuriated Israelis who say it incentivizes terrorism and call it “pay for slay.” Many Palestinians say it provides crucial support for people standing up to an oppressive Israeli occupation.

Drafts of the PA payments reform plans seen by U.S. officials indicate that Palestinian leaders will replace the current scheme with a general welfare program. Further specifics were not immediately available.

“There’s been a great deal of work on this behind the scenes, and the progress is encouraging,” a senior Biden administration official said. Another administration official confirmed changes to the system were expected soon. That said, as with all things involving Israel and the Palestinians, new roadblocks could emerge.

Biden expected to issue executive order targeting Israeli settlers in West Bank - POLITICO
▻https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/01/biden-executive-order-israel-palestine-00139023

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