March 1, 2025 (EIRNS)—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected an offer by Saudi Arabia to rebuild Gaza after the 2014 war in Gaza, according to a report in the Israeli mass daily Yedioth Ahronoth and covered in the Times of Israel. The Saudi plan included removing Hamas from power in Gaza and bringing the Palestinian Authority back into power in Gaza. That would be a prelude to reopening peace negotiations for the Palestinian State and reviving the 2002 Arab peace plan. In return Saudi Arabia would recognize Israel. Netanyahu rejected the offer, sabotaged the negotiations, and made a de facto agreement to allow Qatar to transfer funds to Hamas in Gaza. The obvious motivation was to continue to undermine the Palestinian Authority and prevent the reopening of peace talks.
Yedioth Ahronoth’s Feb. 28 report cited a former Mossad official as saying Netanyahu’s choice was part of this “divide and conquer” strategy to thwart Palestinian statehood by driving a wedge between Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
The arrangement whereby Qatar sent millions of dollars to Gaza continued right up until the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack against Israel that began the current conflict.
