British team helping prepare Palestinian Authority to take over Gaza after Israel-Hamas war, Defence Secretary says
7 December 2023, 22:45 | Updated: 8 December 2023, 00:48
A British team in the West Bank is helping the Palestinian Authority prepare to govern Gaza after the end of the war between Israel and Hamas.
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Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said that the Palestinian Authority, which rules the West Bank and ran Gaza until 2006, should be in charge of the Gaza Strip after the conflict.
A British Support Team has been working in the West Bank for over a decade, Mr Shapps said, and could have its capacity boosted.
The war in Gaza began two months ago after Hamas launched a deadly attack on the south of Israel. Israel's aim is to wipe out Hamas, who are designated a terrorist group in the UK and several other countries.
Hamas leaders been in charge of Gaza since the 2006 elections. No elections have taken place since then.
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Mr Shapps told the Times: "Ultimately, I think the solution is likely to be a Palestinian Authority who need to be capable of a level of governance which will require a huge amount of international help and support and we are not there yet," Mr told the Times.
It is unclear how this will work in practice.
The Palestinian Authority have long been touted as Western countries' preferred rulers of Gaza, but concerns have been raised about their popularity among Palestinians, as well as their fitness to rule.
Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel must retain security control over Gaza, but insisted that his country does not want to occupy the territory politically.
The Palestinian Authority, formed as part of a peace process in the 1990s, are also not popular with Israel's leadership.
Mahmoud Abbas, the leader, has said the Palestinian Authority would only return to Gaza if a "political solution" is found to the war with Hamas. That could involve establishing a Palestinian state, with its capital in East Jerusalem.
Mr Shapps made his comments on a visit Ramallah in the West Bank on Thursday.
The British Defence Secretary said: "When something really terrible happens what we absolutely need to do is get something that is better than what was there before.
"We have to use this appalling crisis to improve the security of Israelis and the lives and livelihoods of Palestinians.
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"And I think you do that by bringing together an international coalition which is led by Arab states in terms of the on-the-ground reconstruction of Gaza and also administratively.
"One of the reasons we are going to Ramallah to talk to the Palestinian Authority is to understand their capacity and ability.
"One of the things we will be doing is talking to the British team who are helping to build that capacity along with the Americans.”
