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Blinken Says Israel Needs a Clear and Concrete Plan for Gaza’s Future

People walk in front of a devastated school building in the al-Zaitoun neighborhood of Gaza City in the northern part of the Palestinian territory on May 15, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement. (AFP)
People walk in front of a devastated school building in the al-Zaitoun neighborhood of Gaza City in the northern part of the Palestinian territory on May 15, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement. (AFP)
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Blinken Says Israel Needs a Clear and Concrete Plan for Gaza’s Future

People walk in front of a devastated school building in the al-Zaitoun neighborhood of Gaza City in the northern part of the Palestinian territory on May 15, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement. (AFP)
People walk in front of a devastated school building in the al-Zaitoun neighborhood of Gaza City in the northern part of the Palestinian territory on May 15, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement. (AFP)

Israel needs a clear and concrete plan for the future of Gaza where it faces the potential for a power vacuum that could become filled by chaos, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.

The remarks drew an apparent Israeli riposte, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying post-war planning was impossible without first completing the demolition of Hamas.

Washington and Israel agree that Hamas cannot continue to run Gaza after the Palestinian group's gunmen ignited the conflict with a cross-border killing and kidnapping spree last October.

But the allies are at odds over Israel's quest for "total victory" over Hamas, including in the southern city of Rafah, where the United States has warned against any major operation that might endanger displaced Palestinians massing there.

"We do not support and will not support an Israeli occupation. We also of course, do not support Hamas governance in Gaza ... We’ve seen where that's led all too many times for the people of Gaza and for Israel. And we also can't have anarchy and a vacuum that's likely to be filled by chaos," Blinken said during a press conference in Kyiv.

The US top diplomat has held numerous rounds of talks with Israel's Arab neighbors on a post-war plan for Gaza. Israel says it intends to keep overall security control and has balked at proposals for the Palestinian Authority (PA), which wields limited rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, to take charge.

"It's imperative that Israel also do this work and focus on what the future can and must be," Blinken said. "There needs to be a clear and concrete plan, and we look to Israel to come forward with its ideas."

In a statement, Netanyahu appeared to push back against the criticism, though he did not refer directly to Blinken.

Israel, he said, has sought out Palestinians not aligned with Hamas to take charge of local civic management in Gaza - only to see them deterred by threats of Hamas retaliation.

"All the talk about 'the day after', while Hamas remains intact, will remain mere words devoid of content," Netanyahu said. "Contrary to what is being claimed, for months we have been engaged in various efforts to resolve this complex problem. Some of the efforts are covert and it is good that this is so."

Citing widespread support among Palestinians for the Oct. 7 attack, Netanyahu said, in an apparent reference to the PA: "We will not allow them to establish a terrorist state from which they will be able to vigorously attack us."

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Arab World

Lebanon at Risk as Iran Uses Its Airspace, Israel Responds

Passengers stranded in the departure hall of Rafik Hariri International Airport following flight delays (DPA)
Passengers stranded in the departure hall of Rafik Hariri International Airport following flight delays (DPA)
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Lebanon at Risk as Iran Uses Its Airspace, Israel Responds

Passengers stranded in the departure hall of Rafik Hariri International Airport following flight delays (DPA)
Passengers stranded in the departure hall of Rafik Hariri International Airport following flight delays (DPA)

Lebanon found itself entangled in the latest flare-up between Israel and Iran, as its skies became a battleground for Iranian missiles and drones, and Israeli interceptor rockets throughout Friday night and into Saturday morning.

Residents across several towns and cities endured a tense and sleepless night, fearing the fallout of missiles potentially crashing into populated areas.

The country’s airspace, which was shut down Friday evening as a security precaution, was reopened at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Minister of Public Works and Transport, Fayez Rasamny, speaking from Beirut’s international airport during an inspection visit, said the facility would remain open “unless an emergency beyond our control arises”.

The Ministry of Public Works said in a statement that the airspace closure and accompanying emergency measures were taken “strictly for security reasons,” stressing that “the safety of passengers and airport facilities remains a top priority.”

Middle East Airlines (MEA), Lebanon’s national carrier, rescheduled several flights to and from Beirut after passengers were left stranded overnight at the airport due to cancellations and delays.

Lebanon’s skies have become a corridor for conflict in the intensifying Israeli-Iranian standoff, sparking growing fears among Lebanese officials and analysts who warn the country is losing control over its own airspace - and may be paying the price.

Beirut lacks the leverage to deter Iran from using its airspace to launch attacks on Israel, nor can it stop Israeli forces from intercepting drones and missiles mid-flight over Lebanese territory.

With Iranian projectiles and Israeli countermeasures crossing through the same skies, experts warn Lebanon faces mounting military and civilian risks as long as it remains entangled in the regional confrontation.

“The passage of Iranian missiles and drones through Lebanese airspace toward Israel presents serious military and security threats on multiple levels,” retired Brigadier General Saeed Al-Qazaz told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He warned that turning Lebanon into a de facto battleground increases the risk of missiles falling into populated areas -- as seen in the Bekaa Valley during the overnight bombardment between Friday and Saturday.

“Israeli attempts to intercept these threats over Lebanon could result in casualties on the ground, whether due to guidance malfunctions or fuel depletion. The fragmentation of these weapons is just as dangerous as a direct hit,” explained Al-Qazaz.

One missile reportedly landed late Friday in the outskirts of Beit Shama, west of Baalbek, sending shockwaves through the valley and stoking fears of further fallout.

Airspace Safety and Legal Concerns

Al-Qazaz also voiced grave concern over aviation safety, saying Lebanon’s crowded airspace could become a deadly zone for civilian aircraft.

“There is an immediate threat to air navigation, and the risk of a commercial aircraft being struck is real. That justifies the need to close the airspace entirely in such circumstances,” he said.

Using the airspace of a sovereign nation without consent, he added, constitutes “a flagrant violation of international law,” citing the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, which affirms a state’s sovereignty over its own skies.

He stressed that the Lebanese government bears responsibility and “must not allow missiles and drones to pass through its airspace without taking action”. International legal liability could arise if any damage is caused to third countries by these aerial operations.

At the same time, Al-Qazaz pointed out a double standard: “While Israel uses the airspace of Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq without consequence, these countries fail to respond or prevent such actions. Jordan, however, has recently intercepted projectiles to avoid international accountability”.

Calls for International Action

Despite Lebanon’s limited capacity to influence either side in the conflict, Al-Qazaz said the government could still lodge a formal complaint with the UN Security Council over repeated airspace violations.

“Lebanon can protest to the international community over the use of its skies by both Israel and Iran, even if no concrete outcome is expected,” he said.

“But remaining silent while missiles continue to pass overhead exposes Lebanon to greater danger, undermines its sovereignty, and drags it further into a military confrontation it did not choose”.

As tensions simmer and skies remain contested, Lebanon finds itself navigating a high-stakes crisis with few tools to shield its people, or its sovereignty.