Abbas Government Pushes Back on Reports of Israeli-Backed Gaza Governor
Palestinian Authority (PA) officials have rejected Israeli media reports that they approved businessman Samir Hulileh to manage Gaza after the war, underscoring the tensions surrounding postwar governance plans. The Palestinian presidency said, “The only entity authorized to manage Gaza is the State of Palestine,” pushing back against suggestions that the appointment had their consent.
Hulileh, a 68-year-old economist and former PA official with long experience in Palestinian politics and business, confirmed he was approached months ago by a Canadian intermediary linked to the US administration about leading Gaza’s administration under an arrangement involving US, Arab, and possibly Israeli backing. He said he discussed the proposal “several times” with President Mahmoud Abbas, but insisted he would only accept within a “clear and comprehensive framework” endorsed by the PA.
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The proposal reportedly originated with Canada-based lobbyist Ari Ben-Menashe, who has filed US disclosures detailing a plan for an internationally backed transitional administration in Gaza, potentially including Arab and American forces, economic projects, and resource development. Israeli, Arab, and US officials are said to be involved in the talks, with Saudi Arabia and Egypt viewed as possible guarantors.
Hulileh has stressed that Gaza’s governance cannot be separated from the West Bank and that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, though not direct negotiators, remain “part of the equation” for any settlement. “Do not separate Gaza from the Palestinian people—Gaza is an inseparable part of the broader Palestinian issue,” he said.
For the PA, the matter carries deep political stakes. Leaders fear being sidelined by plans that bypass their authority—echoing past US and Israeli doubts about their capacity to govern—and warn that any scheme excluding Palestinian consensus risks deepening divisions. With the war continuing and no ceasefire in sight, Hulileh says “the question has not yet ripened,” leaving Gaza’s political future unsettled.
