Smotrich Identifies Secret US Plan for Gaza - Assessment
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is blocking US initiatives to transfer funds frozen by Israel to the Palestinian Authority to finance a new system for distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, which involves excluding the…
Assessment
Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich is blocking a U.S. initiative to use frozen Palestinian Authority funds for a new humanitarian distribution system in Gaza, designed to exclude Hamas. The budget is under his ministry's control, giving him veto power over the plan, which would revive a previous aid model involving Israeli military and American private security. The core issue is the struggle over financial leverage in Gaza's governance.