Who is the senior Palestinian Authority member that might rule the Gaza Strip after the Israel-Hamas war? According to reports in the Arab press, Egypt and the United States want Salam Fayyad to lead the government in Gaza the day after the overthrow of Hamas.
According to various reports over the past few days, it has been hinted that Cairo favors the establishment of a "government of technocrats" in the Gaza Strip after the collapse of the Hamas's rule.
According to the reports, Fayyad's name has come up multiple times in the ongoing talks between Cairo and Washington on the issue.
Fayyad is a veteran Palestinian politician and an economist by training, who for years has been considered to have extensive connections in the United States and is close to Mahmoud Abbas and the top of the Palestinian Authority.
After Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, Abbas appointed Fayyad to head the emergency government. The establishment of the government was met with a boycott by Hamas, and was in fact the final proof of the split between the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza.
The United States government wants the Israeli government to think about "the day after" the war in Gaza and will align all its policies accordingly, including policies related to Israel’s continued military operation within the Strip.
Israel and US split over PA
There is a dispute between the Israeli government and the Biden administration as to who should assume control of Gaza after the war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated several times that Israel will not allow the Palestinian Authority to govern the Gaza Strip. However, on other occasions, Netanyahu specified that the Palestinian Authority "in its current form" will not be allowed to govern Gaza.
Fayyad supports the idea of the "renewed Palestinian Authority" presented by US President Joe Biden, and called for it to be given the responsibility for what is happening both in Israel and in Gaza.
Last month, Fayyad published a "peace plan for Gaza" in the American magazine Foreign Affairs.
He stated that "the Palestinian Authority in its current form is not ready to take on the responsibility of managing Gaza, but if the PA is properly restored, it may provide the best option for the day after the war and beyond, while making contact to activate a regional effort that will be supported internationally".