The late Palestinian Leader Approached the West Bank with a post-Gaza conflict Proposal

RAMALLAH: After 4 years of self-exile, a nephew of Yasser Arafat, Nasser Al Qudwa, returned to the West Bank with a peace proposal for Gaza and offered his services in the government. 

Qudwa’s remarkable words:

Al Qudwa criticizes the Palestinian leadership. He said that the current administration’s strategies are not enough to defeat Israeli settlers. He said that President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement needs a lot of reformation in order to bring justice for the Palestinians.

Qudwa said that we need to get back our confidence. This is the utmost thing that we, being Palestinians, need desperately because without it, we can not succeed. He said, “The first duty is to regain confidence on the street, something that we lost, and we have to be brave enough and say that we don’t have it anymore, and without it, frankly, it’s useless.”

Qudwa’s potential comeback:

In 2021, Qudwa left the West Bank after he was expelled from the Fatah movement due to his decision to run in the election, as he opposed Abbas. Abbas then, last week, readmitted Qudwa to the Fateh movement. Not just did he bring back Qudwa, but he also offered amnesty for the rest of the expelled members, too.

Qudwa’s return coincides with the ongoing pressure on Abbas to implement the long-awaited reforms in the Palestinian Authority. Trump has announced that the war is over now. In the next phase of the ceasefire deal, Hamas has to disarm itself and leave its supremacy in Gaza.

In light of the ceasefire deal and Trump’s new plan for Gaza, an international technocratic Palestinian committee will run Gaza. Moreover, an international force would be deployed to support a new Palestinian police.

Regardless of Trump’s plan, analysts say that Qudwa can play an influential role in reestablishing Gaza. According to analysts, he has a connection with Arab States and Hamas. Qudwa said, “If I’m needed, I’m not going to hesitate.”

New governance in Gaza:

Qudwa’s ideas of the new governance in Gaza depend on Hamas’ willingness to end administrative and security control over Gaza. Hamas, however, said that it no longer wishes to play any role in the government. However, it said that it did not agree to disarm itself. Qudwa then remarked, “The door should be open for them for a political transformation towards a political party.”

He also said, “Hamas needs to understand that nobody is coming after them, that some of these employees will be given another opportunity, that they will not be assassinated, that there will be an opportunity for them to participate in political life.” 

He also stated that the Palestinian Council of Commissioners could run Gaza. Qudwa stated, “he was not suggesting the return of the Palestinian Authority as is to govern Gaza. The international supervision would be ‘fine’, but Palestinians must run Gaza, and they must be able to hold elections, last held in 2006.”

Political analysts said, “No person alone can play a successful role without consensus. The challenges are great. The most important is Israel, which does not want the PA to return to Gaza.”