The Yellow Line, the exact point to which the Israeli army withdrew last month as part of a US-brokered peace deal, could soon become the de facto border dividing the Palestinian enclave.
According to a report by L The GuardianThe United States plans to divide Gaza in the long term into a green zone and a red zone along the current yellow line.
The report, which is based on US military planning documents and sources familiar with the US plans, said that the “Green Zone” would be under Israeli and international military control, where reconstruction would begin, and the “Red Zone” would be left in ruins.
The report stated that foreign forces would initially deploy alongside Israeli soldiers in eastern Gaza, leaving the devastated Strip divided by the yellow line.
Although Israel partially withdrew as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, it still controls more than 53% of the Palestinian enclave, forcing all of Gaza’s displaced residents to reside in less than half the territory.
European officials have also expressed concern that the Yellow Line will become a de facto dividing line, permanently alienating most Palestinians from more than half of the Gaza Strip.
Reconstructing Gaza, after two years of war that destroyed more than 80% of all buildings there, has been a major challenge for the United States and the Arab countries, including Qatar and Egypt, that negotiated the peace agreement.
According to preliminary estimates, the reconstruction of Gaza could cost about $70 billion, and will likely be financed by Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
On the other hand, the American proposal to grant a UN mandate to an international force to stabilize Gaza faces opposition from Russia, China and some Arab countries, which expressed their unease about the peace council that has not yet been formed that will govern the region temporarily, and the lack of any transitional role for the Palestinian Authority.
According to an Associated Press report, China and Russia called for the “peace council” under President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan to be removed from the resolution entirely.
The two countries also raised concerns about the path to an independent Palestinian state and the timeline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
According to the US draft circulated this week, after “the reforms in the Palestinian Authority are faithfully implemented and the Gaza redevelopment process progresses, conditions may be in place for a credible path to self-determination and Palestinian statehood.”
She added, “The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence.”
(tags for translation)Gaza
