Mustafa: After Two Years, Gaza's Governance Will Be Transferred to the Palestinian Authority

SadaNews - Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa said on Wednesday that improving the security situation should start from "realizing that what is happening is a temporary situation, and that eventually, after about two years, things should fully return to the Palestinian Authority."

Mustafa added in an interview with the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, "We want to build all institutions, including the security institution, and we are taking this into consideration."

He emphasized the "efforts to expedite work with partner parties, especially Egypt, the Europeans, and Jordan, to restore or enhance the Palestinian security force, led by the Palestinian police, so that it can maintain security in Gaza."

He continued: "The international military peacekeeping force, if it arrives, could provide additional support and contribute to maintaining peace with the Israeli side."

The Prime Minister stressed that the government aims to "develop the work of institutions in Gaza so that they can fulfill their duties in providing services to citizens, but within a unified institutional and legal framework between Gaza and the West Bank."

He confirmed that "the ultimate goal is the unity of Gaza and the West Bank, paving the way for the establishment of the Palestinian state, as was agreed upon at the New York conference led by Saudi Arabia and France, and as stated in Trump's plan and UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which stipulates that the beginning is a ceasefire, and the end is the right to self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state."

Regarding whether the deportation plan still poses a real threat, Mustafa says, "We hope that the deportation is not real, and that it fails. But to ensure its failure, we must accomplish what we have talked about: reconstruction, relief, housing, and security." He questions, "How can people live?" warning that the absence of these essentials will drive people to seek any opportunity to leave, which is what Israel wants.

The Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa has laid out a roadmap for the upcoming phase, which he said requires a lot of work.

Mustafa stated that "people are still dying and suffering from this situation. It is true that there is no famine today, but decent housing is not available, even temporarily at least." He asserts that Israel "still imposes restrictions on that," considering this issue to be a "top priority."

He adds: "We do not want to talk about grand things, let's simplify matters. The simplest needs after food and drink are for people to live in a decent place. We do not ask for buildings or villas, but temporary housing, a ready place, a room of 70 or 100 square meters for the family, so they can live with dignity."

He sees that the second step after providing temporary housing is "seriously thinking about starting economic recovery and reconstruction, even in its early stages." He acknowledges that the arrangements are complex, but they require two essential things: opening the crossings and establishing security. He explains that "without opening the crossings, construction materials will not enter, and without security, there will be no reconstruction or economy or anything else."

He emphasized that the next step must be "to allow the opening of the crossings to bring in construction materials and start repairing infrastructure, with the aim of providing basic services to citizens," stressing that this necessarily requires "improving the security situation."