Israel Informs Arab States It Wants Buffer Zone in Postwar Gaza, Sources Say

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Source: Haaretz with Reuters

Israel Informs Arab States It Wants Buffer Zone in Postwar Gaza, Sources Say

The buffer zone is intended to prevent future attacks, as part of a plan to demilitarize Gaza, according to regional security officials. U.S. officials reiterated they would 'not support a reduction in the geographical limits of Gaza'

Reuters and Ben Samuels
Dec 2, 2023 6:10 am IST

Israel has informed several Arab states that it wants to carve out a buffer zone on the Palestinian side of Gaza's border to prevent future attacks as part of proposals for the enclave after the war ends, Egyptian and regional sources said.

According to three regional sources, Israel related its plans to its neighbors Egypt and Jordan, along with the United Arab Emirates, which normalized ties with Israel in 2020.

They also said that Saudi Arabia, which does not have ties with Israel and which halted a U.S.-mediated normalization process after the Gaza war flared on October 7, had been informed. The sources did not say how the information reached Riyadh, which officially does not have direct communication channels with Israel. Non-Arab Turkey was also told, the sources said.

The initiative does not indicate an imminent end to Israel's offensive, but it shows Israel is reaching out beyond established Arab mediators, such as Egypt or Qatar, as it seeks to shape a postwar Gaza.

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Read more: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-01/ty-article/israel-informs-arab-states-it-wants-buffer-zone-in-postwar-gaza-sources-say/0000018c-268e-d04a-af9f-f6be18c70000