The Story of the Governor of Gaza and Samir Halileh

This is the second time in a year, amidst discussions about the post-ceasefire situation in the Gaza Strip, that the name Samir Halileh, a technocrat and businessman from the West Bank, has been mentioned as a governor of Gaza, amidst controversy and disputes with the Palestinian leadership. At times, he claims to have received approval from the leadership and the president, while at other times, the authority denies him and expresses skepticism about his role, which has been outlined for him by the Americans and Israelis, as expressed by Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the official spokesman for the presidency.

With the possibility that this might just be a maneuver to further confuse the scene and distract people, as they did when they leaked the name of Mohammed Dahlan as a potential governor of Gaza, or that it could be governed by families and tribes, or by Arab and international forces, or to expand the phenomenon of Abu Shabab gangs from the south to the north, all of this is to prevent the Palestinian Authority from managing the sector. They formed a committee composed of prominent figures headed by Dr. Majed Abu Ramadan, which has been accepted by the majority of the Arab and international countries concerned with halting the genocide and managing the sector.

However, the matter is more serious than that, and not everything that Halileh has mentioned in his meetings and statements is accurate. I listened to what he said on Ajyal Radio; he is not a choice of the international, Arab, or Palestinian community, but rather solely an Israeli and American choice. He was lured by money when he learned that he would be the focal point for reconstruction funds.

The story goes back more than a year when an Israeli businessman residing in Montreal, Canada, named Ari Ben Menashe, who is of Iranian descent and birth, an Israeli national, a businessman, security consultant, and a former employee of the Israeli military intelligence from 1977 to 1987, and an arms dealer, was commissioned by the Mossad to contact several Palestinian figures, some of whom were from Gaza residing abroad, and offered them the position of governor of Gaza. None accepted the offer except for Samir Halileh. One of them sent me the text of the message they received from the intelligence officer, which is literally what Halileh received. However, their patriotism prevented them from accepting the offer, even though they are technocrats: doctors, engineers, businessmen, and holders of advanced degrees in various fields, both inside Gaza and outside it, and non-partisan, and acceptable to the Americans and Israelis. However, they know that Israel wants a facade through which to pass its plans to liquidate the Palestinian cause not solely in the Gaza Strip but also in the West Bank.

If it is imposed to separate Gaza from the West Bank and appoint a governor for the sector, many people from the sector can do that, apart from those who fled during the Hamas coup or abandoned it later, assuming there's still any stones and people left in the sector.