Washington says it seeks to enlist Palestinian diaspora for a transitional government; disarmament a complex task

The United States is working to identify and recruit Palestinians who will participate in a transitional technocratic government to run the Gaza Strip after the war, a senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump said.

According to the adviser, many of the candidates for this government come from the Palestinian diaspora.

The adviser added, “There are many highly successful Palestinians in the diaspora who truly want to see an end to their people’s suffering, and they are coming to us to take part in the technocratic government.”

Israel says this is the first time it believes it may be possible to create a new alternative to the Palestinian Authority and Hamas — a leadership that would finally allow the Palestinian people to free themselves from the difficult conditions they have found themselves in, conditions that primarily resulted from failed leadership and poor decisions.

The adviser said that the “Peace Council” led by Trump, which will oversee the technocratic government, will ultimately determine who will be appointed to it, although the council itself has not yet been formed.

He said: “It could be very successful if the right leaders are chosen — those who work for legitimate reasons and seek to establish a new system instead of the old patronage and corruption networks that failed.”

He added in a briefing that some parties have expressed a desire to join the technocratic government because they recognize that “Hamas is weaker than ever.”

Disarming the Gaza Strip will be an extremely difficult task

In the same context, Trump’s adviser acknowledged that carrying out a disarmament operation in the Gaza Strip would be extremely difficult.

The adviser told reporters, “We are now working to map out a path to get there in a way that makes everyone feel secure.”

He added, “It is unrealistic to think that everyone will come forward, lay down their weapons and say: here they are.”

He said, “Many people — even within Hamas — fear reprisals from others inside Gaza. It is a very complex dynamic.”

However, he said that “the position of the Arab mediators, and of our side, is that everyone still wants to continue working together to find a way to achieve that.”

“We are all working closely, creatively and resolutely to find the appropriate solution that satisfies the goals of all parties,” he said.

In any case, the adviser pointed out that all mediators agree that “no funds will be pumped into areas controlled by Hamas for reconstruction.”