Israel's UN ambassador slams Palestinian plan for Gaza, demands PA first 'condemn Hamas'
2025-02-15
Category: world

EXCLUSIVE - Israel's United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon is making the Jewish State’s disapproval of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) "Relief and Early Recovery Plan" for Gaza crystal clear. "It would be better if they dealt with terrorism in Judea and Samaria and condemn Hamas," Ambassador Danon told Fox News Digital exclusively. Judea and Samaria are commonly referred to as the West Bank outside of Israel. The PA’s plan, which was submitted to the U.N. Security Council for review, is broken up into three phases and will cost approximately $3.5 billion, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital. It calls for an "international commitment to end the Israeli siege" in the Gaza Strip and "longer-term changes." "The end of Israel's occupation of the State of Palestine and the achievement of the two-state solution, as outlined in numerous U.N. resolutions as well as the Arab Peace Initiative, is the only [way] forward for the State of Palestine and the State of Israel to live side by side in peace and security," the PA’s plan reads. TRUMP’S GAZA RELOCATION PROPOSAL SPARKS HEATED DEBATE AMONG PALESTINIANS: ‘NO LIFE LEFT HERE’  Israel’s Mission to the U.N. condemned the plan in a statement provided exclusively to Fox News Digital. Israel sees the plan presented by the PA as a way to "circumvent basic security requirements, including disarming Hamas." "While the Trump administration presents plans to change the reality in Gaza, including voluntarily transferring the residents of the Strip to other countries, the Palestinian Authority offers the U.N. an independent reconstruction plan - without any reference to the demilitarization of the Strip or Hamas' responsibility for the destruction caused to it," the statement from Israel's Mission to the U.N. said.  In its plan, the PA puts the onus of ensuring the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Gaza on Israel, calling it the "occupying power." However, in 2005, Israel unilaterally pulled out of the Gaza Strip, and Hamas took over after a 2006 election. The physical restoration of Gaza is not the only focus of the PA’s plan; there is also the establishment of a "Governmental Emergency Operations Room" to oversee the plan, along with the controversial United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).  EGYPT REPORTEDLY RELEASES DETAILS ON PLAN TO REBUILD GAZA; THERE'S NO MENTION OF 'COOPERATION' WITH THE US Both the PA and UNRWA have been accused by Israel of perpetuating terrorism and violence. "The Palestinian Authority, which has not yet condemned the atrocities of October 7, does not have the moral standing and executive ability to take part in these issues," Ambassador Danon told Fox News Digital. "It would have been better if they had focused on stopping the rotten culture of incitement and demanded a stop to the ugly terrorism that has reared its head in Judea and Samaria." Upon reviewing the PA’s documents, Fox News Digital did not find any references to the Oct. 7 attacks, or the hostages taken into Gaza by force. The PA did, however, repeatedly accuse Israel of committing "genocidal aggression" in Gaza. Hamas is not mentioned in the PA’s plan, which aligns with the two factions’ history of friction. In February 2024, Russia attempted to launch peace talks between the PA and Hamas. Hamas urged Russia in October 2024 to push PA President Mahmoud Abbas to agree to a unity government for post-war Gaza, but so far nothing has come from those efforts. While Israel’s Mission to the U.N. condemned the PA’s plan, it also admitted that the "chance that it will be overwhelmingly accepted remains an open question, especially in light of the Trump administration's new policy on Gaza."  HAMAS SAYS IT WILL FREE MORE ISRAELI HOSTAGES ON SATURDAY AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited D.C. earlier this month, President Trump said the U.S. would "take over" Gaza and relocate the Palestinians living there. When recently asked about the president’s plan, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt ruled out the idea of putting American troops on the ground in Gaza. Instead, she said that President Trump would "strike a deal with our partners in the region." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Before he returned to the Oval Office, President Trump warned Hamas that there would be "hell to pay" if the hostages were not returned. Since then, several hostages have been released. Saturday will see three more Israeli hostages released, including American Sagui Dekel Chen.