A report published by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Tuesday said conversations held by US-Jewish NGO, Shomrim, reveal behind-the-scenes efforts to appoint a Palestinian figure, businessman Samir Hulileh, to run the Gaza Strip.
While the Palestinian presidency denied the report, Hulileh said that the proposal to appoint him as a governor for post-war Gaza had gained momentum in recent weeks, but did not yield any results.
Responding to Hulileh’s comments, the Palestinian presidency warned that “any engagement with other arrangements is a deviation from the national position and aligns with Israel’s aim to separate Gaza from the West Bank and displace its residents,” affirming that Gaza is an inseparable part of Palestinian territory.
Hulileh told the Palestinian radio station Ajyal that several months ago, he was contacted by a Canadian contractor working with the US administration with a goal at the time to identify figures who could serve as a “point of contact” between Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Egypt and other key players in the region.
“I discussed the matter directly with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,” Hulileh said, without specifying the President’s position on that matter.
Hulileh affirmed he has no direct contacts with Hamas. “If the Palestinian Authority says ‘take charge,’ I will take charge,” he added, describing his role as someone “who will be used to manage the project.”
Hamas did not comment on the report.
In another interview with Nasradio, Hulileh said he received an offer from the White House to run Gaza when the war ends, adding that he had discussed the matter with the Palestinian Authority. “My name came up to govern the Strip because I am politically independent,” he said.
The Plan
According to the Yedioth Ahronoth report, conversations held by Shomrim with people involved in the initiative, as well as documents submitted to the US Department of Justice, reveal a plan to bring in a figure acceptable to both Israel and the United States and help lay the groundwork for post-war Gaza.
It said Hulileh’s candidacy is being promoted in part by lobbyist Ari Ben-Menashe, a former Israeli now based in Canada. Ben-Menashe says the initiative has gained momentum in recent weeks following meetings in the US and Hulileh’s contacts in Egypt.
Ben-Menashe’s filings in the US outline a broader proposal: stationing US and Arab forces in Gaza, securing UN recognition of a special status for the territory, leasing land from Egypt for an airport and seaport in Sinai, obtaining gas drilling rights off Gaza’s coast and more.
Speaking from Amman, Hulileh said the essential first step is a permanent ceasefire and an end to the war.
He said law and order would also need to be restored, with authority in Gaza “neither from the Palestinian Authority nor from Hamas” but respected by residents. The territory, he stressed, could not remain awash in weapons from “remnants of Hamas or Islamic Jihad.”
Nothing, he emphasized, will move forward until the war ends, though he noted signs of optimism.
A Ramallah resident and trained economist, Hulileh is a well-known political and business figure in the Palestinian Authority. His resume includes senior PA posts and extensive business ties.
In 2005, he served as secretary-general of the Palestinian government and later as deputy minister of economy and trade, chairman of the board at the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute, board member of the Palestine Trade Center, CEO of PADICO - Palestine’s largest holding company - and chairman of the Palestinian Stock Exchange.
He is considered close to Palestinian-American billionaire Bashar al-Masri, the developer of the West Bank city of Rawabi, known for his ties to US President Donald Trump’s administration.
