My proposal for making the Gaza an emirate of the UAE is getting a little closer to reality

Over a year ago, I proposed a "day after" scenario in Gaza that would bring peace and prosperity to the residents there, security to Israel and a huge boon to the entire region: turn Gaza into the eighth United Arab Emirate.

The reasons it makes sense are:

* Only a Gulf country has the resources to rebuild Gaza and realize its dream of becoming a Singapore.

* Israel is at peace with the UAE and would eagerly cooperate with it in facilitating the new emirate.

* The problem of territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza would no longer be an issue. 

* Gazans would become UAE citizens, get passports,  and could freely move to other emirates if they want. If they prefer to hold on to the dream of an independent Palestinian state, they can move to the West Bank. 

* For the first time, there would be optimism about Gaza's future that would encourage investment.

* One can foresee joint Israel-UAE economic projects that would employ thousands of Gazans.

* The UAE would not tolerate terror. There would be no rockets, no cross-border raids, no tunnels. 

* It would help the Sinai prosper as well, as Egypt would be able to reap benefits of an Arab economic powerhouse next door.

What would the UAE get out of it?

* A port on the Mediterranean

* Access to natural gas and other fossil fuels off the coast

* Overland routes of trucking and shipping tying the Gulf to the Mediterranean, facilitating imports and exports

* An airport would bring an air bridge as well

* Increased influence in the region, which the UAE desires

* Gaza could become a tourist destination and a meeting hub between European and Arab political and business leaders

Now, Reuters reports that the UAE is heavily involved in "day after" proposals. Not yet as far reaching as what I proposed but it is a step in the right direction.

The United Arab Emirates has discussed with Israel and the United States participating in a provisional administration of post-war Gaza until a reformed Palestinian Authority is able to take charge, according to people familiar with the talks.

The behind-the-scenes discussions, reported by Reuters for the first time, included the possibility of the UAE and the United States, along with other nations, temporarily overseeing the governance, security and reconstruction of Gaza after the Israeli military withdraws and until a Palestinian administration is able to take over, a dozen foreign diplomats and Western officials told Reuters.

"The UAE will not participate in any plan that fails to include significant reform of the Palestinian Authority, its empowerment, and the establishment of a credible roadmap toward a Palestinian state," a UAE official told Reuters, in response to questions about the discussions.

"These elements - which are currently lacking - are essential for the success of any post-Gaza plan."

I don't know if the UAE has ambitions to take over Gaza as I outlined. But if they do, then they would say exactly what they are saying now - that it would be temporary, that they want to see a reformed PA eventually take over the sector, that it must be a step towards a Palestinian state. That's the only way they could credibly get involved in the mess that is Gaza.

But here's the thing about the Middle East: temporary arrangements tend to become permanent absent a huge upheaval like a war. 

UNRWA was meant to be temporary. The 1949 armistice lines were meant to be temporary. The Palestinian Authority itself was meant to be temporary. Momentum keeps them in place.

The PA is unreformable. The EU has already invested billions on making it into a responsible, modern government and it remains a thoroughly corrupt dictatorship with little popular support.

The West likes a status quo. If the UAE gets involved with Gaza, and heavily invests in its rebuilding, then it naturally would have a larger voice than, say, Qatar or Egypt in how it gets rebuilt and what it will eventually look like. 

If the UAE shares my vision on the benefits of turning Gaza into an emirate, this is what it would so to start. Let's hope that this is only the first step.

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The Palestinian Authority rejected a UAE "day after" plan for Gaza that would lead to a Palestinian state. As they always do.

Palestinian Sada News gives details on a UAE plan presented to Antony Blinken about how to unify Gaza and the West Bank under a trusted, transparent and revamped Palestinian Authority, a move that would lead to a two state solution.

Mahmoud Abbas rejected it, as he has rejected every single peace plan that has ever crossed his or his predecessor's desk.

The plan includes:

The Palestinian Authority must undertake reforms and demonstrate transparency and accountability to restore its credibility and the trust of the Palestinian people and international partners, in exchange for being recognized as the sole legitimate governing body of Gaza. This process will include the appointment of a new prime minister and the establishment of a Gaza committee through presidential decree.

It also requires that the Israeli government make concessions, on the path to progress towards a two-state solution.

The plan includes the deployment of a temporary international mission based on an official request from the Palestinian Authority, whereby the mission will be deployed to replace the Israeli military presence in Gaza, and will supervise the stability of the situation and the enforcement of the law in Gaza.

The forces could include personnel from Arab countries, including military contractors, and the Palestinians would not have a direct role in security at first, the UAE document says.

The Steering Committee of the Temporary International Mission will consist of the UAE, the United States and other regional countries, and will be tasked with ensuring progress, coordinating international funding, monitoring Palestinian Authority reforms and reconstruction efforts, and security developments.

A special committee for Gaza will be formed, consisting of Palestinians, and will be responsible for the daily management of the Strip, the rehabilitation of the economy, social services, and government institutions, and will gradually build the Palestinian Authority's presence in Gaza.

The staff and workers will include former government employees of the Palestinian Authority, as well as former government employees who served under Hamas rule, provided they are vetted by the Steering Committee members and Israel.

The plan does not seek to conclude a new agreement with Israel, but it will ensure compliance with existing security and economic arrangements (such as the Paris Protocol), and Israeli security concerns will be addressed without the need for renegotiation, the Emirati document states.

The document also states that the Palestinian Authority will bear responsibility for the reconstruction of Gaza, with financial support from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other international donors.

Efforts will focus on rebuilding infrastructure, restoring services, and re-establishing Palestinian Authority institutions.

It will also aim to complete Palestinian reconciliation, by starting a dialogue between Fatah and Hamas to achieve a consensus that ensures Hamas' acceptance of the committee and the international mission.

The document indicates a timetable for initial steps, including issuing a presidential decree to form a new Palestinian Authority government and establishing a Gaza committee.

The plan has been pushed by the UAE for months, and the US has been receptive to it.  Axios says, "Israeli officials say Netanyahu liked many parts of the Emirati plan but opposes the more politically-charged aspects, particularly the involvement of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and the two-state solution vision."

But the response from the PA was a resounding "no." Not a "we'll study it," not a "it has interesting ideas that we may want to keep." Just "strong opposition" to the plan that would force them to eliminate corruption.

So what's their plan?  They don't have one. 

They haven't said anything except for rejecting every other idea. They don't want any responsibility for governing Gaza - or the West Bank, to be honest. They want the trappings of government without any of the hard work.

The reason is that the PA likes having Hamas in charge of Gaza. It gives them an excuse for not solving problems. It allows them to pretend to be the "good cop" in the region and be honored as a real government of a real state. They like Hamas terrorism. They tacitly supported October 7. 

The PA's goals have always been to destroy Israel, and any plan that allows Israel to continue to exist and to be able to defend itself is unacceptable. 

Rejectionism is much easier than governing. Especially when the entire idea of a Palestinian state has always been to eventually replace Israel, not to live side by side with it. 

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Another reason Gaza should become "The Emirate of Palestine"

People keep talking about the necessity of a plan for governing Gaza, and none of the plans suggested have the slightest chance of being successful.

The Palestinian Authority cannot govern themselves, let alone Gaza. Israel has tried empowering local clans as alternate rulers for years and it has never worked out because there are too many threats from armed Islamists and no one wants to look like a puppet to Israel. 

I have suggested that the world give up on an independent Palestinian run Gaza for the foreseeable future and instead  turn Gaza into "The Emirate of Palestine" controlled by the UAE. 

* Only a Gulf country has the resources to rebuild Gaza and realize its dream of becoming a Singapore.

* Israel is at peace with the UAE and would eagerly cooperate with it in facilitating the new emirate.

* The problem of territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza is no longer an issue. 

* Gazans would become UAE citizens, get passports,  and could freely move to other emirates if they want. If they prefer to hold on to the dream of an independent Palestinian state, they can move to the West Bank. 

* For the first time, there would be optimism about Gaza's future that would encourage investment.

* One can foresee joint Israel-UAE economic projects that would employ thousands of Gazans.

* The UAE would not tolerate terror. There would be no rockets, no cross-border raids, no tunnels. 

What would the UAE get out of it?

* A port on the Mediterranean

* Access to natural gas and other fossil fuels off the coast

* Overland routes of trucking and shipping tying the Gulf to the Mediterranean, facilitating imports and exports

* An airport would bring an air bridge as well

* Increased influence in the region, which the UAE desires

* Gaza could become a tourist destination and a meeting hub between European and Arab political and business leaders

Additionally, this is a practical reward for the Abraham Accords, which would encourage other Arab states to make peace with Israel. Egypt would work with the UAE to develop the Sinai instead of walling it off from Gaza. 

Everyone wins, except those who want to destroy Israel. 

There is an additional piece of data that points to the UAE as the best and most responsible partner for running Gaza: They have helped Gazans far more than any other country during this war.

The latest COGAT report says that more truckfuls of aid have come from the UAE than any other country.

The UAE built the largest field hospital in Gaza, with 200 beds.

Beyond their Khan Younis field hospital, the UAE also opened up a floating hospital in El Arish, Egypt last that is now taking Gaza patients. 

While other countries are using Gaza as an excuse to bash Israel and consider Gazans to be cannon fodder for screaming Israel is guilty of "genocide."  the UAE is one of the few countries that actually appears to care about the welfare of Palestinians as human beings. Who better to be responsible for Gaza's future? And who, outside Israel itself, has more experience in building a thriving economy out of nothing? 

It would not be easy, but this plan is the only one anyone has suggested that has a chance of a permanent success. Let it be debated and compared with the other plans that the supposed "experts" are advocating where a corrupt Palestinian leadership controls Gaza or a weak Palestinian leadership must be propped up by Israel. 

Start by describing the plan to actual Gazans and ask whether they like the idea.

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Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism  today at Amazon! Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.  Read all about it here!

 

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The "Emirate of Palestine" - the UAE is the key for a lasting solution to the Gaza crisis

There are lots of articles about "the day after" in Gaza. 

Most of them envision some sort of Palestinian self-rule. The US, Saudi Arabia and others are pushing a  "revitalized" Palestinian Authority.

This is a recipe for disaster. Palestinians overwhelmingly support Hamas and destroying Israel, in survey after survey. If there are elections, the terror supporters will win handily, just as they did in the last elections.

No one has come up with a better plan than my suggestion two months ago to turn Gaza into an emirate of the UAE.

As I wrote then (this is slightly modified):

There is one country that could turn Gaza into a wonderful place: the UAE. Gaza should become the fifth United Arab Emirate.

The UAE is at peace with Israel. it could pour massive amounts of money into rebuilding Gaza into a paradise. It wouldn't allow Islamists to gain a toehold. 

Gazans would suddenly live in a place that has a future. The UAE and Israel could work on joint business ventures and economic zones to help employment and bring Gaza up to modern standards. One could imagine luxury hotels and high tech skyscrapers being built on the shores of the Mediterranean.

Gazans would become citizens of an Arab country and could still call themselves Palestinians. The emirate itself could be called "the Emirate of Palestine." Why not?  And Gaza citizens of the UAE could move to the other emirates to seek other opportunities if they prefer, with Emirati entrepreneurs moving to Gaza to take advantage of a blank slate. Which is not dissimilar to how they built the UAE to begin with.

Why would the UAE be interested? Well, a port on the Mediterranean is a pretty big carrot. Shipping lanes from and to Europe would be a huge economic boost. Working with Israel, the proposed train line from the Gulf to Israel could be extended a bit to Gaza to tie the Gulf countries closer to the sea as well.

Beyond that, there are some significant gas deposits off the coast of Gaza. No one wants to risk drilling there now, but the UAE would solve that problem. 

Also, Palestinians are among the best educated Arabs. There is a competent workforce already there. 

Moreover, Gaza could become a money-making tourism destination. Wealthy Europeans could rub shoulders with wealthy Arabs and make deals much closer to home.

Gazans would have huge opportunities to work and thrive. There would be no more "refugees" in Gaza. UNRWA would be gone.

Egypt would be thrilled to have such a neighbor.The entire Sinai could benefit from increased trade.

Since then, my suggestion makes even more sense.

Right now, there is competition between Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE for influence over the Levant. Talal Mohammad writes in Foreign Policy:

Israel and the United States—its most important ally—have insisted that [Hamas] can have no role in Gaza’s future administration. Instead, both have proposed the establishment of a multinational force that would include a role for Arab states—including those in the Persian Gulf. This means that Gaza could become a hot spot for geopolitical rivalries between Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Qatari influence is disastrous. They support Hamas both with direct aid and through Al Jazeera, by far the most influential source of news in the Middle East. They cannot have a role in the future of Gaza.

Saudi Arabia might want more influence, but without peace with Israel, it is highly limited in what it can do.

The UAE is the solution.

Some people responded to my idea by saying the UAE wouldn't be interested, but as the FP article notes:

The UAE, which balances relations between major powers such as Russia and the United States, has expansionist ambitions. In addition to Yemen and Sudan, Abu Dhabi also backs proxies in conflicts in the Horn of Africa and Libya.

This would be a peace dividend for the UAE - a reward for the Abraham Accords.  If anything, this benefit for the UAE would pressure Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel to have its own  place at the table. 

The article floats the idea of Mohammed Dahlan, the former Gaza Fatah strongman who now lives in Abu Dhabi, taking a role in rebuilding Gaza . I am not sure he is the best choice - most Palestinians can't stand him. But any UAE-approved leader of the "Emirate of Palestine" would be ruthless in suppressing the Islamists in Gaza, and that ruthlessness is what is needed for any plan to work. But they would also bring in billions to rebuild Gaza into a Singapore.

There is a lot of money in the Gulf to rebuild Gaza - but no one wants to spend a dime if there is a chance that Israel will destroy the new buildings in a few years, virtually a guarantee if Hamas or a successor has a role there. But Israel would fully support the UAE's ambitions for Gaza. It will never attack an ally.

A Gaza emirate instantly converts Gaza from an enemy to a friend. Isn't that what everyone dreams of? Besides those who want to destroy Israel, that is. 

Moreover, the UAE has been negotiating with an Israeli firm to build a "land bridge" of trucks from the Port of Dubai to Israeli ports to bypass the Red Sea and the Houthis for shipping to Europe. If the UAE were to build a port in Gaza, it could be on both ends of the shipping traffic. 

The UAE is uniquely positioned to turn the Gaza lemons into lemonade. This is the real reward for the Abraham Accords - a port on the Mediterranean, access to gas reserves off Gaza, and the opportunity to solve the Gaza quagmire not just for a few years but forever. 

It is easy to poke holes in any idea, especially one as out of the box as this one. The political obstacles are formidable.  But can anyone suggest anything that is better? Or one that could be expected to last for decades?

This plan is a win for Israel, a win for the UAE, a win for Gazans, a win for Egypt, and a win for the West that wants to solve the Middle East crisis. It is a real solution, and a permanent one. 

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The best solution for everyone: Turn Gaza into a new emirate for the UAE! (update)

There have been a number of articles about how to fill the vacuum that ill be left in Gaza after Israel destroys Hamas. It is a significant question: no one wants another Islamist group to take over.

The US is pushing for the Palestinian Authority to reassert control, but the PA is trying to extort a state out of it, saying it doesn't want to gain power based on Israeli actions. 

But the PA is a corrupt, weak entity. Nobody likes them, least of all its citizens. It lost Gaza once and it would likely lose it again. 

Egypt doesn't want Gaza. Egyptians hate everything about it. After all, it was Egypt that turned it into a virtual prison for Palestinian refugees after the 1948 war.

Israel doesn't want Gaza back. It doesn't want to govern two million hostile Arabs, not to mention take over day to day governance. Imagine the suicide bombings at every governmental office. And, of course, it would be "occupation."

So who should run Gaza the day after Hamas is eradicated?

When Israel left Gaza in 2005, optimists thought it could become a new Singapore. Palestinian incompetence and Hamas ended that fantasy. Hate for Israel was far more important than helping Palestinians live their lives.

But there is one country that could turn Gaza into a wonderful place: the UAE. Gaza should become the fifth United Arab Emirate.

The UAE is at peace with Israel. it could pour massive amounts of money into rebuilding Gaza into a paradise. It wouldn't allow Islamists to gain a toehold. 

Gazans would suddenly live in a place that has a future. The UAE and Israel could work on joint business ventures and economic zones to help employment and bring Gaza up to modern standards. One could imagine luxury hotels and high tech skyscrapers being built on the shores of the Mediterranean.

Gazans would become citizens of an Arab country and could still call themselves Palestinians. The emirate itself could be called "the Emirate of Palestine." Why not?  And Gaza citizens of the UAE could move to the other emirates to seek other opportunities if they prefer. 

Why would the UAE be interested? Well, a port on the Mediterranean is a pretty big carrot. Shipping lanes from and to Europe would be a huge economic boost. Working with Israel, the proposed train line from the Gulf to Israel could be extended a bit to Gaza to tie the Gulf countries closer to the sea as well.

(UPDATE): Beyond that, there are some significant gas deposits off the coast of Gaza. No one wants to risk drilling there now, but the UAE would solve that problem. 

Also, Palestinians are among the best educated Arabs. There is a competent workforce already there. 

Moreover, Gaza could become a money-making tourism destination. Wealthy Europeans could rub shoulders with wealthy Arabs and make deals. 

Gazans would have huge opportunities to work and thrive. There would be no more "refugees." 

Egypt would be thrilled to have such a neighbor.The entire Sinai could benefit from increased trade. 

This idea is a win for literally everyone - except those people whose entire lives are dedicated to destroying Israel. 

People who truly want peace in the region would love to see this idea work. People who only want to get rid of Israel would hate this idea. 

But can anyone think of any better future for Gaza than this? 

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Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism  today at Amazon! Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.  Read all about it here!

 

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