US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is considering a post-war plan for Gaza based on ideas developed by Israel and the United Arab Emirates that would be presented after the presidential election, US officials say, Report informs via Axios.
Several officials in the White House and State Department are concerned the plan would marginalize Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his government, which is what Israel and the UAE are pushing for in the immediate term, according to Axios.
But with no deal in sight to release the hostages held by Hamas and establish a ceasefire in Gaza, presenting a "day-after" plan could be a potentially positive part of the Biden administration's legacy surrounding the conflict.
Axios spoke to one dozen US, Israeli, Palestinian and Emirati officials with knowledge of the issue for this story.
Some in the State Department, including Blinken, think a hostage and ceasefire deal doesn't seem possible before the end of the Biden administration, and therefore the Israeli-Emirati plan is a possible "Plan B" that could start drawing a path out of the war, US officials say.
But other officials inside the State Department say it is an ill-advised concept that only serves Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's interests and is bound to be rejected by the Palestinians and fail.