Netanyahu vows that neither Hamas nor Fatah will rule Gaza after war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Tuesday that neither the terror organization Hamas nor Fatah party in the West Bank, would rule the Gaza Strip in a post-war settlement.

“Gaza will be neither Hamastan nor Fatahstan,” Netanyahu said.

“After the great sacrifice of our civilians and our soldiers, I will not allow the entry into Gaza of those who educate for terrorism, support terrorism and finance terrorism,” the premier added, referring to Fatah’s anti-Jewish incitement and terrorism support.

The prime minister’s statement appeared to be a response the U.S. Biden administration’s plan to eventually transfer the control of the Gaza Strip to a presumably reformed Palestinian Authority (PA), run by President Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Fatah political faction.

However, Netanyahu does not trust the PA or Fatah to lead the Gaza Strip due to its systematic antisemitic incitement and well-known pay-for-slay policy that offers financial incentives to terrorists who murder Israelis.

Turning to U.S.-Israeli ties, Netanyahu praised the Biden administration for supporting Israel’s right to self-defense against the terror organization Hamas.

“Following an intensive dialogue with President Biden and his team, we received full backing for the ground incursion and blocking the international pressure to stop the war,” Netanyahu stated. However, the premier admitted that there were disagreements between Washington and Jerusalem concerning a post-Hamas arrangement in the Gaza Strip and beyond.

“Yes, there is disagreement about 'the day after Hamas' and I hope that we will reach an agreement here as well,” Netanyahu admitted, while not elaborating.

In early December, Netanyahu stressed that Hamas, the PA and its predecessor – the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) – are all ideologically opposed to the existence of a Jewish state.

“It wasn’t an error to exile it to Tunis, it was an error to return the most hostile entity in the Arab world… into the heart of the country. Later it split in two, but the ideology that denies Israel's existence is shared by these two factions, and I will not make the same error again,” Netanyahu stated earlier this month.

The Biden administration recently admitted that the PA was not ready to assume responsibility for the Gaza Strip in its current form, despite its three decades of existence. Washington, however, continues to support the implementation of a future two-state solution.

During a fundraising event in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Biden publicly repeated his dissatisfaction with Netanyahu’s conservative coalition government that opposes a two-state solution.

“Netanyahu has the most conservative government in Israel’s history, which does not want a two-state solution. Israel is starting to lose support because of indiscriminate bombing,” the president said.

He added that Netanyahu “will not be able to say ‘no’ to a Palestinian state in the future.”

While Biden stressed his friendship with Netanyahu, he argued that the Israeli prime minister needed to change his position in the political arena, saying: “Netanyahu is a good friend, but I believe he needs to change.”

Biden is under pressure from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party in the U.S. to reduce his support for the Jewish state. However, during a Hanukkah reception at the White House on Monday, Biden called himself a "Zionist" and said he would continue supporting Israel militarily until the terror organization Hamas is defeated.

“As I said after the attack, my commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, and the security of Israel, its right to exist as an independent Jewish state, is unshakeable. You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist. I am a Zionist,” Biden stated.