Israel-Hamas War

Biden envoy to meet with Abbas as the US floats a possible Palestinian security role in postwar Gaza

A senior U.S. official says this could include reactivating Palestinian security forces driven out by Hamas in 2007.

AP Photo/Steve LeBlanc

FILE. Protesters calling for an Israeli ceasefire in Gaza block an intersection in Boston, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023.

The United States national security adviser and the Palestinian president were set Friday to discuss postwar arrangements for Gaza — which, according to a senior U.S. official, could include reactivating Palestinian security forces driven out by Hamas in its 2007 takeover of the territory.

The proposal, floated as one of several, was the first specific indicator of Washington's vision for security arrangements in Gaza if Israel achieves its U.S.-backed objective to end Hamas control of the besieged enclave.

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Any role for Palestinian security forces in Gaza is bound to elicit strong opposition from Israel, which seeks to maintain an open-ended security presence there and says it won't allow a postwar foothold for the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, a West Bank-based autonomy government led by President Mahmoud Abbas.

On Thursday, Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, spoke to Israeli leaders about a timetable for winding down the intense combat phase of the war.

The offensive, triggered by the unprecedented Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, has flattened much of northern Gaza and driven 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes. Displaced people have squeezed into shelters mainly in the south in a spiraling humanitarian crisis.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has shown unease over Israel’s failure to reduce civilian casualties and its plans for the future of Gaza, but the White House continues to offer wholehearted support for Israel with weapons shipments and diplomatic backing.

“I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives,” Biden said Thursday when asked if he wants Israel to scale down its operations by the end of the month. “Not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful.”

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Sullivan talked with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu about moving to “lower intensity operations” sometime “in the near future."

It was not clear to what extent the U.S. and Israel differ on the timetable. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Sullivan that it would take months to destroy Hamas, but did not say in his statement whether his estimate referred to the current phase of heavy combat.

Gallant has said this phase would be followed by lower-intensity campaign to stamp out any pockets of Hamas resistance.

A deadly Hamas ambush on Israeli troops in Gaza City this week showed the group’s resilience and called into question whether Israel can defeat it without wiping out the entire territory.

Israel’s air and ground assault over the past 10 weeks has killed more than 18,700 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. Thousands more are missing and feared dead beneath the rubble.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. Its latest count did not specify how many were women and minors, but they have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead in previous tallies.

On Friday morning, communications services still appeared to be down across Gaza. The Palestinian telecommunications provider Paltel had announced Thursday evening that services were cut off due to ongoing fighting.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that the U.S. was urging Israel to pivot from high- to low-intensity tactical strategies amid growing scrutiny about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Israeli airstrikes and tank shelling continued overnight and into Friday, including in the city of Rafah, part of the shrinking areas of tiny, densely populated Gaza to which Palestinian civilians had been told by Israel to evacuate. At last one person was killed in an airstrike early Friday, according to an Associated Press journalist who saw the body arriving at a local hospital.

Israelis remain strongly supportive of the war and see it as necessary to prevent a repeat of Oct. 7, when Palestinian militants attacked communities across southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking some 240 hostage. A total of 116 soldiers have been killed in the ground offensive, which began Oct. 27.

Palestinian support for Hamas has tripled in the West Bank, with a small uptick in Gaza, according to a poll published Wednesday. Still, a majority of Palestinians do not back Hamas, according to the survey, which had an error margin of 4 percentage points.

Sullivan was scheduled to meet Friday with Abbas, who lost control of Gaza when Hamas drove out his security forces in 2007. The takeover came a year after Hamas defeated Abbas' Fatah party in parliament elections and the rivals failed to form a unity government.

A senior U.S. official said that Sullivan and others have discussed the prospect of having those associated with the Palestinian Authority security forces before the Hamas takeover serve as the “nucleus” of postwar peacekeeping in Gaza.

Tsafrir Abayov/AP
Police officers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea and catching the country off-guard on a major holiday.
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Palestinians celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Fire and smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Six weeks of fighting since then has seen hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flee to southern Gaza, where they cram into shelters and take refuge with friends and family.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians inspect the rubble of a building after it was struck by an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Rockets are fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations, killing hundreds and taking captives. Palestinian health officials reported scores of deaths from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Maya Alleruzzo/AP
The mother of Israeli Col. Roi Levy cries during her son’s funeral at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. Col. Roi Levy was killed after Hamas militants stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli towns. Israel’s vaunted military and intelligence apparatus was caught completely off guard, bringing heavy battles to its streets for the first time in decades.
Hatem Moussa/AP
The rubble of the Sousi Mosque, destroyed in an Israeli airstrike, is seen at Shati refugee camp in Gaza City early Monday, Oct. 9, 2023.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians rescue a young girl from the rubble of a destroyed residential building following an Israeli airstrike, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
Mohammad Al Masri/AP
Palestinians evacuate wounded in Israeli aerial bombing on Jabaliya, near Gaza City, Wednesday, Oct.11, 2023.
Erik Marmor/AP
Israeli soldiers surround a Palestinian who ran at them with a knife at the site of a music festival near the border with the Gaza Strip Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023.
Francisco Seco/AP
A woman lights candles in honor of victims of the Hamas attacks during a vigil at Dizengoff square in central Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. The writing reads: “Out of Words.”
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians wait to cross into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing in the Gaza Strip, on Monday, Oct.16, 2023.
Hassan Eslaiah/AP
Palestinians look for survivors in buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Deir el-Balah, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.
Evan Vucci/AP
President Joe Biden is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023, in Tel Aviv.
Mohammed Dahman/AP
Rockets are fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel over destroyed buildings following Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023.
Petros Giannakouris/AP
An Israeli woman touches photos of Israelis missing and held captive in Gaza, displayed on a wall in Tel Aviv, on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. Relatives of people kidnapped by Hamas militants and supporters organized a protest Saturday calling for the return of more than 200 hostages held in Gaza for two weeks.
Abed Khaled/AP
A wounded Palestinian woman runs following Israeli airstrikes that targeted her neighborhood in Gaza City, Monday, Oct. 23, 2023.
Mohammed Dahman/AP
Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings following Israeli airstrikes on the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023.
Omar El-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images
Smoke and fire rise from buildings as people gather amid the destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Gaza City on October 26, 2023, as battles continue between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group.
Omar El-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images
Smoke and fire rise from buildings as rescuers gather amid the destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Gaza City on October 26, 2023, as battles continue between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group.
Abed Khaled/AP
A man sits on the rubble as others wander among debris of buildings that were targeted by Israeli airstrikes in Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023.
Hatem Ali/AP
Palestinians with dual nationality register to cross to Egypt on the Gaza Strip side of the border crossing in Rafah on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023.
Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images
An Israeli artillery unit fires during a military drill in the annexed Golan Heights near the border with Lebanon on November 2, 2023. Lebanon’s southern border has seen tit-for-tat exchanges, mainly between Israel and Hamas ally Hezbollah, since Hamas militants launched an unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip.
Jonathan Ernst/AP
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sits onboard the plane during his visit to Israel as he departs en route to Jordan, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. Blinken is in Israel to press for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into besieged Gaza.
Abed Khaled/AP
Palestinians strike the concrete while looking for survivors under the rubble of a destroyed house following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023.
Mohammed Dahman/AP
Palestinian firefighters extinguish fire caused by an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.
Ohad Zwigenberg/AP
Israeli army troops are seen next to a destroyed building during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023.
AFP via Getty Images
A Palestinian gunman runs past burning tires during confrontations with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on November 9, 2023.
Abed Khaled/AP
Fire and smoke rises from buildings following Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023.
Hatem Ali/AP
A Palestinian boy stands among the destruction after Israeli strikes on Rafah, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023.
Fatima Shbair/AP
A man carries his daughter in a wheelbarrow through the flooded streets of a U.N. displacement camp after rainfall in the southern town of Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023.
Said Khatib/AFP via Getty Images
A relative tries to salvage some personal items from the home of the Palestinian Sheikh el-Eed family, a day after it was hit by Israeli bombardment killing the mother and two of her children, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on November 19, 2023, as battles continue between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images
Palestinian medics care for premature babies evacuated from Al Shifa hospital to the Emirates hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on November 19, 2023. A top health official in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said all 31 premature babies at Al-Shifa hospital had been evacuated on November 19 from the facility which the WHO has described as a “death zone”.
Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images
A Palestinian woman reacts as people inspect the damage following Israeli strikes on Rafah, on the southern Gaza Strip, on November 20, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images
A Palestinian man reacts after in an Israeli strike on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 20, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images
Israeli soldiers patrol on the top of the Mount Hermon near the border with Lebanon in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights on November 20, 2023, amid increasing cross-border tensions as fighting continues with Hamas militants in the southern Gaza Strip.
Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images
Palestinians stand next to a mural of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat amidst the debris following Israeli bombardment on Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on November 22, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.
Mohammed Dahman/AP
Palestinians flee to northern Gaza as Israeli tanks block the Salah al-Din road in the central Gaza Strip on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, as the four-day cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war begins as part of an agreement that Qatar helped broker.
Leo Correa/AP
A group of Israelis celebrate as a helicopter carrying hostages released from the Gaza Strip lands at the helipad of the Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel, Sunday Nov. 26, 2023. The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was back on track Sunday as the militants freed 17 more hostages, including 14 Israelis and the first American, in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners in a third set of releases under a four-day truce.
Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images
A protester burns tires in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on November 27, 2023, ahead of an expected release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The Israeli government said on November 27, it had put Hamas “on notice” that an “option for an extension” of the truce in the Gaza Strip was open.
Karim Sahib/AFP via Getty Images
Palestinians evacuated from the Gaza Strip board a plane at Egypt’s El-Arish International Airport bound for Abu Dhabi early on November 27, 2023, as part of a humanitarian mission organised by the United Arab Emirates. Israel and Hamas announced a deal on November 22, allowing at least 50 hostages and scores of Palestinian prisoners to be freed while offering besieged Gaza residents a four-day truce after weeks of all-out war.
Hatem Ali/AP
Palestinians line up for food in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, during a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images
People sit around a camp fire in the midst of destroyed buildings in the Khezaa district on the outskirts of the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis, following weeks of Israeli bombardment, as a truce between Israel and Hamas entered its 7th day on November 30, 2023.
Nasser Nasser/AP
Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi, center, is supported by her mother after she was released from prison by Israel, in the West Bank town of Ramallah, early Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. International mediators worked to extend the truce in Gaza, encouraging Hamas militants to keep freeing hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and further relief from Israel’s air and ground offensive.
Nasser Nasser/AP
A man smiles as he is welcomed after being released from prison by Israel, in the West Bank town of Ramallah, early Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. International mediators on Wednesday worked to extend the truce in Gaza, encouraging Hamas militants to keep freeing hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and further relief from Israel’s air and ground offensive.
Sakchai Lalit/AP
Thai hostages who were freed from Hamas observe a minute of silence upon their arrival at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakarn Province, Thailand, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. Twenty-three Thai hostages kidnapped by Hamas in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel have been freed so far, and Thailand’s foreign ministry says nine remain in captivity in Gaza.

It was one idea of many being considered for establishing security in Gaza, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with White House ground rules. He said such talks were taking place with Israel, the Palestinian Authority and regional partners.

The U.S. has said it eventually wants to see the West Bank and Gaza under a unified Palestinian government, as a precursor to Palestinian statehood — an idea soundly rejected by Netanyahu, who leads a right-wing government that is opposed to Palestinian statehood.

The Palestinian prime minister told The Associated Press it’s time for the United States to deal more firmly with Israel, particularly on Washington’s calls for postwar negotiations for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Now that the United States has talked the talk, we want Washington to walk the walk,” Mohammed Shtayyeh said Thursday. “If the United States cannot deliver Israel, who can?”

As part of postwar scenarios, Washington has also called for revitalizing the Palestinian Authority, without letting on whether such reforms would require personnel changes or general elections, which last took place 17 years ago. The 88-year-old Abbas is widely unpopular, with this week's poll indicating close to 90% of Palestinians want him to resign.

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Jobain reported from Rafah, Gaza Strip, and Mroue from Beirut. Associated Press journalist Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed.

Copyright The Associated Press
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