The United States and Israel have held discussions about the possibility of Washington leading a temporary post-war administration in Gaza, Reuters reported exclusively on Wednesday, citing five sources familiar with the talks.
The high-level consultations have focused on establishing a transitional governing authority, led by a US official, that would manage Gaza during a demilitarization and stabilization period, until a viable Arab administration can take over.
Sources compared the proposal to the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority established in Iraq in 2003, following the invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.
OH WHAT A FIASCO IT WAS
The first actions of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) under US Presidential Envoy and Administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, included sweeping measures that reshaped post-invasion Iraq. CPA Order 1 initiated the de-Ba’athification of Iraqi society, and on May 23, CPA Order 2 formally disbanded the Iraqi army, along with other sectors of the public workforce—including nurses and doctors—leaving over 500,000 Iraqis unemployed.
On July 22, 2003, the CPA established the Iraqi Governing Council, appointing members primarily drawn from expatriates and dissidents who had lived in exile during Saddam Hussein’s rule. The CPA proceeded to privatize state-owned industries and enact economic reforms favoring foreign investors. These included Order 37, which slashed corporate tax rates from 40% to 15%, and Order 39, which permitted full foreign ownership of Iraqi assets.
That CPA was widely seen by Iraqis as an occupying force, and handed over power to an interim Iraqi government in 2004 after it failed to quell a rising insurgency. That insurgency, made up mostly of unemployed former army soldiers and officers as well as Ba’ath party officials, soon came to be known as the Caliphate, or ISIS.
The CPA was also awash in massive corruption, as billions of US dollars that were shipped on cargo planes to Baghdad disappeared.
In response to questions from Reuters, a State Department spokesperson declined to confirm whether Washington had discussed a U.S.-led provisional authority in Gaza with Israel, citing the sensitivity of ongoing negotiations. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also declined to comment.
“We want peace and the immediate release of the hostages,” the American spokesperson said. “The pillars of our approach remain resolute: stand with Israel, stand for peace.”
May we suggest the more fitting, “Sit for peace?” It’s going to take a while.
