Israel and US Are at Odds over Conflicting Visions for Postwar Gaza

An Israeli army self-propelled artillery howitzer fires rounds from a position near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on December 7, 2023 amid battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
An Israeli army self-propelled artillery howitzer fires rounds from a position near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on December 7, 2023 amid battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
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Israel and US Are at Odds over Conflicting Visions for Postwar Gaza

An Israeli army self-propelled artillery howitzer fires rounds from a position near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on December 7, 2023 amid battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
An Israeli army self-propelled artillery howitzer fires rounds from a position near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on December 7, 2023 amid battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)

The United States has offered strong support to Israel in its war against the Hamas militant group that rules the Gaza Strip. But the allies are increasingly at odds over what will happen to Gaza once the war winds down.

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, this week announced that Israel would retain an open-ended security presence in Gaza. Israeli officials talk of imposing a buffer zone to keep Palestinians away from the Israeli border. They rule out any role for the Palestinian Authority, which was ousted from Gaza by Hamas in 2007 but governs semi-autonomous areas of the occupied West Bank.

The United States has laid out a much different vision. Top officials have said they will not allow Israel to reoccupy Gaza or further shrink its already small territory. They have repeatedly called for a return of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority and the resumption of peace talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

These conflicting visions have set the stage for difficult discussions between Israel and the US.

Here’s a closer look at the issues.

SHAKY COMMON GROUND Israel declared war on Hamas after the militant group burst across its southern border on Oct. 7, slaughtering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping more than 240 others. President Joe Biden quickly flew to Israel on a solidarity mission, and his administration has strongly backed Israel’s right to defend itself while providing weapons and military assistance.

Israel has said its goal is to destroy Hamas —- a difficult task given the group’s deep roots in Palestinian society.

The US, which along with other Western countries considers Hamas a terrorist group, has embraced this goal. But as the war drags on, it has expressed misgivings about the dire humanitarian conditions and mounting civilian death toll in Gaza, where health authorities report over 16,000 dead, at least two-thirds of them women and children. Israel says Hamas is to blame by using civilians as human shields.

Over the weekend, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said it is critical that Israel protect Gaza’s civilians.

“If you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat,” he said. “So I have repeatedly made clear to Israel’s leaders that protecting civilians in Gaza is both a moral responsibility and a strategic imperative.”

On Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken went even farther, telling Israel that “civilian casualties remain too high and that Israel must step up its efforts to reduce them,” his office said. Blinken also called on Israel to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

DIFFERENT VISIONS The biggest differences between the allies have emerged over the longer-term vision for Gaza.

Netanyahu has offered only glimpses of what he plans.

On Tuesday, he said the military would retain open-ended security control over the Gaza Strip long after the war ends, suggesting a form of extended Israeli occupation.

Netanyahu ruled out the idea of foreign peacekeepers, saying only the Israeli army could ensure that Gaza remains demilitarized. Netanyahu has also rejected a return of the Palestinian Authority, saying its leader, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cannot be trusted.

“After destroying Hamas, Gaza will be demilitarized and de-radicalized so that no threat will be posed to Israel from Gaza,” said Ophir Falk, an adviser to Netanyahu. “The buffer zone may be part of the demilitarization. That’s the plan.”

Biden and other top officials have repeatedly said that a “revitalized” Palestinian Authority must play a role in postwar Gaza and that Israel must seek a two-state solution involving the PA. They have ruled out a long-term re-occupation or redrawing of Gaza’s borders.

Vice President Kamala Harris laid out perhaps the clearest US vision during an address in Dubai last weekend.

“Five principles guide our approach for post-conflict Gaza: no forcible displacement, no re-occupation, no siege or blockade, no reduction in territory, and no use of Gaza as a platform for terrorism,” she said. “We want to see a unified Gaza and West Bank under the Palestinian Authority, and Palestinian voices and aspirations must be at the center of this work.”

Frustration with Netanyahu may not be limited to the US.

Amos Harel, the military affairs columnist for the Haaretz daily, said Israeli army commanders believe Netanyahu is motivated by domestic political considerations and refusing to deal with the Palestinian Authority “due to coalition constructions from his far-right partners.” Netanyahu and his hardline coalition partners oppose Palestinian independence.

HOW SERIOUS ARE THE DISPUTES? For now, both sides seem to be focused on the shared goal of destroying Hamas.

“It's important for them that Israel achieve the military goals because this is the starting point for any changes that can happen the day after,” said Eldad Shavit, a former high-ranking Israeli intelligence official.

He said US pressure in the short term will be on immediate issues — such as pressure to minimize civilian casualties and to allow more deliveries of humanitarian aid.

The US has indicated that it will show some patience after the fighting subsides.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US understands “there will have to be some kind of transition period after the end of major combat operations.” He declined to say how long that would take.

But as the death toll in Gaza continues to rise, conditions deteriorate, and Biden enters an election year with significant portions of his Democratic base pushing for an end to Israel’s offensive, these differences are likely to grow in the absence of a clear endgame.

Shavit said that tensions could rise if the US at some point concludes that Israel is dragging its feet or ignoring American demands. But for now, “the Americans want Israel to succeed,” he said.

Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator who is president of the US/Middle East Project, a policy institute that studies the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said the Americans are unlikely to put their foot down.

He cited what he described as a tepid American response to heavy civilian casualties in southern Gaza as an indicator of what lies ahead.

“Israelis have a sense that their road to run is not endless, but they still feel they have lots of road to run,” he said.



Le Pen Verdict Triggers Uproar from Far-Right in France and Beyond, amid Fist Pumps in Paris

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, member of parliament of the Rassemblement National (National Rally - RN) party, walks on the day of the verdict of her trial at the courthouse in Paris, France, March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, member of parliament of the Rassemblement National (National Rally - RN) party, walks on the day of the verdict of her trial at the courthouse in Paris, France, March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
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Le Pen Verdict Triggers Uproar from Far-Right in France and Beyond, amid Fist Pumps in Paris

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, member of parliament of the Rassemblement National (National Rally - RN) party, walks on the day of the verdict of her trial at the courthouse in Paris, France, March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, member of parliament of the Rassemblement National (National Rally - RN) party, walks on the day of the verdict of her trial at the courthouse in Paris, France, March 31, 2025. (Reuters)

The thunderclap court ruling barring far-right politician Marine Le Pen from office for the immediate future reverberated across the political spectrum of France and Europe on Monday.

Her supporters branded the verdict an assault on democracy while detractors reacted with fist-pumping celebration, though even some of her critics wondered whether the court decision went too far.

Long seen as a top contender for France's 2027 presidential election and a potential leader-in-waiting of the Eurozone's second economy, Le Pen was convicted of embezzling European Union funds and barred from holding public office for five years.

The ruling drew swift and scathing responses from Le Pen's political kin across Europe, many of whom viewed the court's decision as an existential threat to their own movements.

"I am shocked by the incredibly tough verdict against Marine Le Pen. I support and believe in her 100% and I trust she will win the appeal and become President of France," said Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders.

In Italy, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini warned, "The ruling against Marine Le Pen is a declaration of war by Brussels."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán declared, "I am Marine."

Tom Van Grieken of Belgium's Vlaams Belang called the decision "an attack on democracy," and added: "Marine Le Pen can continue to count on our support."

Spain's Vox party leader Santiago Abascal insisted, "They will not succeed in silencing the voice of the French people."

From Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "More and more European capitals are going down the path of trampling over democratic norms."

In France, where Le Pen had fought for decades to mainstream her far-right politics, the reaction within her camp was incendiary.

Jordan Bardella, her handpicked successor as president of the National Rally, used the language of political martyrdom to describe the moment.

"Today it is not only Marine Le Pen who was unjustly condemned: it is French democracy that was killed," Bardella said.

Éric Zemmour, another prominent far-right voice and former presidential candidate, said "It is not for judges to decide who the people must vote for."

In Paris's Republic Plaza, where public demonstrations often unfold, Le Pen detractors punched the air in celebration.

"We were here in this square to celebrate the death of her father," said Jean Dupont, 45, a schoolteacher. "And this is now the death of Le Pen's presidential ambitions."

Sophie Martin, 34, a graphic designer, was among those in a celebratory mood. "I had to check the date-I thought it was April Fool's Day," she said. "But it's not. She's finally been knocked down. We've lived with her poison in our politics for too long."

Still, not everyone welcomed the ruling. Lucien Bernard, 64, a retired civil servant, expressed concern. "It's a sad day for democracy," he said. "Whether you love or hate her, the people should not be denied a chance to express their vote in a country that is supposedly a leading Western democracy."

Even from the left, where Le Pen has long been a reviled figure, the tone was complex. The far-left France Unbowed party acknowledged the seriousness of the charges but warned against judicial overreach.

"We take note of this decision by the courts," the party said, "even though we reject on principle that legal recourse should be impossible for any defendant."

They emphasized that their opposition to Le Pen's party would continue on political - not judicial - grounds: "We will defeat them again tomorrow at the ballot box, no matter who their candidate is."