The New York Times reported, citing several officials, that the United States is close to forming a committee of Palestinian technocrats to oversee the administration of the Gaza Strip, with expectations that the committee’s composition will be announced later on Wednesday.
اضافة اعلان
The American newspaper quoted four officials and six other individuals familiar with the decision as saying that Ali Shaath, former Palestinian Deputy Minister of Planning, has been selected to head the committee.
According to the newspaper, many sources familiar with plans related to the Gaza file expect the committee to be announced on Wednesday, when Palestinian officials from Hamas and other factions meet in the Egyptian capital for talks.
The sources who spoke to the New York Times did not disclose further details regarding the identities of the remaining committee members, how it will administer the Gaza Strip, or which parties will fund its operations.
A Desire to Show Progress
The newspaper quoted analysts as saying that announcing the formation of the committee may be aimed at giving momentum to U.S. President Trump’s plans for Gaza, which appear to still face some obstacles.
According to Michael Koplow, an analyst at the Israel Policy Forum, a New York–based research group, the announcement of the committee may reflect a “desire to show progress, given that progress on other fronts has been difficult.”
The New York Times noted that the truce between Israel and Hamas has largely held, while U.S. efforts to persuade many countries to send peacekeeping forces to Gaza have failed to yield significant results.
The Next Phase
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal quoted U.S. officials as confirming that the Trump administration will announce on Wednesday the transition to the next phase of the Gaza plan.
It is worth noting that the ceasefire plan backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which entered into force last October, stipulates that the committee be non-political, tasked with providing public services in the Gaza Strip, and composed of independent Palestinian experts.
Al Jazeera Net
