A confidential meeting involving the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates took place to discuss potential strategies for governing the Gaza Strip following a resolution of the current conflict, confirmed on Tuesday.
The meeting, held in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, suggests Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is actively formulating a plan for Gaza’s future after the war, following repeated calls for a cease-fire.
But specifics about the Thursday meeting, initially reported by Axios, remain scant, and it is unclear whether options for ending the war were also discussed.
The attack by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, triggered swift retaliation from Jerusalem in the Gaza Strip, drawing international condemnation amidst substantial civilian casualties.
Despite international pressure for a ceasefire, Netanyahu has previously vowed not to end the offensive until .
In December, Netanyahu had suggested that Israel must assume full control of Gaza to ensure “demilitarization” of Hamas – a move that would reverse Israel’s 2005 agreement to withdraw from Gaza.
The Abu Dhabi meeting was reportedly hosted by the UAE’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed and included Brett McGurk, White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, and Tom Sullivan, the State Department’s senior policy adviser to the secretary of state.
Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and two senior Israeli defense officials also participated in the meeting.
The meeting took place a day after UAE special envoy Lana Nusseibeh outlined a “day-after” proposal in an op-ed for the Financial Times.
Netanyahu is and Congress during his trip to Washington this week, where the war in Gaza is anticipated to be a primary discussion point.
‘ Bret Baier contributed to this report.