Even as Israeli tanks and ground troops continued to battle Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday outlined a post-war vision for the territory, one that he said would not involve the Palestinian Authority in its current form.

“We need to see the following two things,” Netanyahu told NBC’s Meet the Press.

“Gaza has to be demilitarised and Gaza has to be de-radicalised,” he said. “And I think so far, we haven’t seen any Palestinian force, including the Palestinian Authority, that is able to do it.” Netanyahu said “overall military responsibility” would be handled by Israel after the war.

The comments were at odds with views expressed by the Biden administration, which last week made it clear that there should be no Israeli “re-occupation” of Gaza. Secretary of state Antony Blinken left open the possibility of a “transition period” after the war, but said that eventually Gaza’s administration “must include Palestinian-led governance and Gaza unified with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority”.

Netanyahu’s remarks on Sunday echoed those he made to the Israeli public at a televised news conference on Saturday night, which had been his most extensive public description yet of his vision for Gaza after the end of the military campaign. He said Israel must maintain security control “for as long as necessary” and have the ability to enter Gaza at will to deal with perceived threats there.

Israel has been vague on who might administer Gaza if and when Hamas is pushed out, even as it comes under increasing international criticism for the humanitarian crisis and spiraling civilian death toll.

But Netanyahu has now made it clear that he will not agree to the western-backed Palestinian Authority handling civilian affairs in Gaza unless it changes some of its conduct and unless its leader, President Mahmoud Abbas, forthrightly condemns the October 7 assault.

As well as the lack of condemnation, Netanyahu pointed to the teaching of hatred of Israel to children and monetary payments to assailants convicted of attacks against Israelis.

New York Times News Service