State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller was asked about the plan for Gaza after the Hamas-Israel war ends.
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NewsTranscript
00:00I just want to, like, follow up on your answer to Said about the day after and the plan for
00:06peace in the Middle East.
00:08You've been – I mean, from this podium or even from many other platforms in the U.S.
00:12Government, you've been pushing for months now for a day-after plan from the Israelis,
00:18and you're pushing with the regional players to find a formula for a peace that will – everlasting
00:27peace.
00:28But what we hear from the Israelis is a different page.
00:31They are opposing any Palestinian control of Gaza.
00:34They're not willing to enter any discussion internally about the day after.
00:40And in principle, they are – the Netanyahu government and his factions are against the
00:47two-state solution.
00:48You've been pushing for months.
00:50Do you have any way of pushing more or putting – exerting more pressure on the Israelis
00:56to engage in that?
00:57So a few things about this.
00:58Just one kind of factual note.
01:01So with respect to plans for the day after, I spoke about this a little bit lately.
01:06We have seen the Israeli Government start to develop more of their own plans and put
01:10more of their own plans forward – not as advanced as we would like to see, certainly,
01:15but just as a factual matter, they have been starting to have those conversations internally
01:19and they've been having those conversations with us, and I believe they've been having
01:22those conversations with others in the region as well, which is not to say that there is
01:26a fully formed plan that is ready to go or certainly one that would be acceptable to
01:30the broader community, but they are at least advancing in their thinking of that issue.
01:37But I would say that with respect to the longer-term issue, we – ultimately, Israel is going
01:45to have to make some tough choices, which is always the case.
01:48It's been the case with this struggle between Israel and Palestinians for decades that ultimately
01:54resolving it requires tough choices by both sides of this conflict.
01:58And to get to, in our view, a lasting end of this conflict, it's going to have to
02:03take tough decisions by Israel.
02:07The case that we will make to them, to get to your question, is that ultimately making
02:13some of these tough decisions is actually in their interest.
02:18It's in their long-term security interest.
02:20It is, of course, in the interest of the Palestinian people to see lasting stability
02:25in Gaza, to see reconstruction, to see a better form of governance than what they've had
02:30since Hamas took control of the Strip several – a couple decades ago.
02:35But it's also in Israel's long-term security interest to find a lasting resolution to this
02:41conflict.
02:42So we will continue to press that case to them, but they will have to make decisions
02:48for themselves, as every sovereign country has to do.
02:52But it's just – it is just our view, and we certainly hope that the people of Israel
03:00will ultimately endorse this view as well, that continuing to have this long-term security
03:05threat staring them in the face is a problem for their security and it is a barrier to
03:14their long-term integration with the region, which is something Israel has wanted from
03:17the very founding of the state.
03:19QUESTIONS What's the Palestinians' options here?
03:22I mean, until the Israelis or Israeli Government reach a sober moment to accept that it has
03:30to do tough choices, as you said, what are the Palestinians' options to fight this
03:35occupation?
03:36That will be acceptable to you?
03:37MR.
03:38RATHKE So when you say Palestinians, I don't know
03:39if you mean the Palestinian people, if you mean the Palestinian Authority.
03:40There's lots of them.
03:41QUESTION Let's say the – the LA.
03:42MR.
03:43RATHKE There are lots of different – lots of different
03:44ways.
03:45What was the answer?
03:47What was the answer?
03:48QUESTION Let's just say the Palestinian Authority.
03:49MR.
03:50RATHKE The Palestinian Authority.
03:51So there are lots of different answers.
03:52That's why I asked.
03:53There's lots of different ways to answer that question.
03:54We think there are things that the Palestinian Authority can do.
03:55We think there are reforms that the Palestinian Authority can make that will make it clear
03:59that they are a reformed, revitalized authority that can serve as a credible governing structure
04:08both for the people of the West Bank and the people of Gaza.
04:10And that's a message that they could send both to the Government of Israel but also
04:15to the Palestinian people who we know want to see a reformed PA.
04:17So that's – that is one thing.
04:19Ultimately, what we are trying to do is work with the Palestinian Authority and work with
04:25partners in the region who we know want to see lasting peace and stability and want to
04:29see the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
04:33And so that's what we'll continue to do.