U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has raised significant doubts about the Peace Council’s ability to execute President Donald Trump’s plan for the Gaza Strip—without additional planning and resource allocation from the American administration. Politico reported Thursday evening, based on a cable Huckabee sent to Washington.
2+According to the report, Huckabee’s central concern involves the future of the International Gaza Support Center (IGSC), established as a coordination hub between the United States, Israel, and international partners. The Pentagon plans to reduce its personnel at the center over the coming year and transfer some missions to civilian hands—but according to the ambassador, it’s still unclear who will be able to fill the resulting gap.
“The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem is not currently prepared in terms of manpower to take on these roles,” Huckabee wrote, according to Politico. He said the embassy could prepare for this—but only after clarifying what human, financial, and logistical resources would be required. Huckabee added that the Peace Council is working to expand its staffing, but “it’s still not clear whether it will be able to fulfill all the roles” at the center.
2+The remarks take on special significance against the backdrop of the central role assigned to international mechanisms in Gaza’s “day after.” The Peace Council’s official roadmap states that an international stabilization force is supposed to help secure aid, train Palestinian police, and implement the process, alongside demilitarizing the Strip and transferring authority from Hamas to the new administration. But even months after presenting the plan, Hamas and continued implementation of demilitarization remain among the central challenges.
Huckabee’s cable thus raises a significant question for Israel as well: Can the international mechanism on which the American plan rests actually assume responsibility on the ground—particularly when it involves missions with direct security implications? Throughout the process, Israel has made clear that withdrawal and transfer of territory cannot be based solely on declarations, and that effective demilitarization of Hamas is a central component of any future arrangement.
2+The report comes just as the Peace Council seeks to advance to the practical stage of the plan. Only recently it was reported that its officials estimate the preparatory work done in recent months will enable accelerating the moves after the U.S. midterm elections and elections in Israel. Now, the message emerging from the cable attributed to Huckabee is that even on the American side, practical questions exist regarding the manpower, budgets, and ability of the international mechanism to bear the responsibility placed on it.