https://x.com/TheCradleMedia/status/1981315843200892964
US-Israeli plan to SPLIT GAZA IN TWO sparks Arab rejection and fears of lasting occupation
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According to the Wall Street Journal, the US and Israel are considering a plan to divide the Gaza Strip into two zones, one controlled by Israel and the other by Hamas, with reconstruction restricted to the Israeli zone until Hamas is disarmed and removed from power.
US Vice President JD Vance and Trump adviser Jared Kushner outlined the proposal at a press conference in Israel, saying Israel currently controls about 53% of Gaza under the ceasefire. They described the Israeli-held area as a “safe zone” that would gradually expand, with all reconstruction funding directed there. Kushner said the aim was to build “a new Gaza” on the Israeli-controlled side to give Palestinians “a place to go, work, and live.”
Arab mediators have expressed alarm over the proposal, which was raised during recent talks. Arab states strongly oppose dividing Gaza, warning it could establish a permanent zone of Israeli control inside the enclave. They have also rejected the idea of deploying forces to secure Gaza under these terms. A US official described the plan as preliminary. The ceasefire map, brokered by Trump, already designates a yellow line marking Israeli control, meant to shrink over time as benchmarks are met.
The plan reflects unresolved difficulties in disarming Hamas and establishing an alternative governing authority to oversee billions in reconstruction funds. It aligns with Trump’s broader proposal to form a technocratic Palestinian committee and deploy an international security force, though details remain unsettled. White House officials said Kushner, working with envoy Steve Witkoff, is the driving force behind the initiative, which has Trump’s backing.
Israeli analysts see the proposal as a way to weaken Hamas politically and militarily over time, by expanding Israel’s zone of control and strengthening a buffer between Gaza and Israeli border towns. But Palestinian and international observers warn the plan could mirror West Bank tactics, fragment Gaza, and erase its territorial unity.
Tahani Mustafa of the European Council on Foreign Relations said: “Gaza has represented the only patch of territorial contiguity for a Palestinian state. A plan like this could end up creating what Palestinians feared.” She added that demanding Hamas’s disarmament without real peace guarantees “is the core of the problem” and would likely lead to deadlock.
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