WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday proposed international security forces and temporary UN leadership to stabilise Gaza, but said Israel in turn must agree on a pathway to a Palestinian state.

With talks in Qatar nearing a ceasefire in the devastating 15-month conflict, Blinken laid out his long-awaited roadmap for Gaza with days left before he leaves office.

Blinken acknowledged the misgivings of Israel — where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a far-right government and expects even stronger US support under President-elect Donald Trump — but pleaded for a new approach.

“We’ve long made the point to the Israeli government that Hamas cannot be defeated by a military campaign alone,” Blinken said at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington.

“Without a clear alternative, a post-war plan and a credible political horizon for the Palestinians, Hamas — or something just as abhorrent and dangerous — will grow back,” he said.

In line with his calls since the start of the conflict, Blinken said that Gaza should be under the control of the Palestinian Authority — which now holds shaky, partial control of the West Bank and has been repeatedly undermined by Israel.

Acknowledging the limitations of the Palestinian Authority, Blinken said an unstated number of countries have offered to send troops and police to Gaza.

He said that the “interim security mission” would include both foreign forces and “vetted Palestinian personnel”. “We believe that the Palestinian Authority should invite international partners to help establish and run an interim administration with responsibility for key civil sectors in Gaza, like banking, water, energy, health,” Blinken said.

The Palestinian Authority would coordinate with Israel and the rest of the international community, which would be asked to provide funding.

A senior UN official would oversee the effort, which would be enshrined by a UN Security Council resolution, Blinken said.

“The interim administration would include Palestinians from Gaza and representatives from the PA selected following meaningful consultation with communities in Gaza,” Blinken said.

The interim authority “would hand over a complete responsibility to a fully reformed PA administration as soon as it’s feasible,” he said.

The deal would take shape in negotiations after an initial ceasefire, which both Blinken and President Joe Biden said was on the “brink” of acceptance.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2025