Exclusive: Palestinian Authority tells US it is ready to 'clash' with Hamas for control of Gaza

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has indicated to the United States that it is prepared to "confront" Hamas if that is the necessary cost of taking control in the Gaza Strip. This plan was presented during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy. According to Middle East Eye, the plan was proposed by senior Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh during a meeting with Steve Witkoff in Riyadh. Sheikh is considered a potential successor to current Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The PA's plan envisions a committee ruling the Gaza Strip, with the majority of its members coming from outside the enclave. The meeting, facilitated by Saudi Arabia, was arranged at the PA's request after Witkoff refused to meet in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Subsequently, Witkoff traveled to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Notably, he did not hesitate to visit Gaza, becoming the first U.S. official to visit Gaza in 15 years.

Saudi Arabia facilitated the meeting between the U.S. and the PA, but did not vet the plan before the PA presented it to Witkoff. Ziad Abu Amr, a long-time advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, would become the de facto ruler of the Gaza Strip, leading the committee. He would be appointed as a deputy to Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, but would wield significant new powers.

Born in the Gaza Strip in 1950, Abu Amr may be welcomed by the Trump administration as he is also a U.S. citizen. He holds a PhD from Georgetown University and served as Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister from 2013 to 2024. Abu Amr has been actively trying to re-establish the PA's authority in Gaza. He previously lobbied against funding the reconstruction of the besieged enclave after the 2014 war.

However, a senior U.S. defense official said that the PA's boasting to the Trump administration about its readiness to confront Hamas sounded "delusional," and that they would need military support, possibly from other Arab states or private contractors. The PA is dominated by the secular Palestinian party Fatah. In 2007, fighting broke out between Fatah and the Islamist Hamas after Hamas won the previous year's Palestinian legislative elections. Ultimately, Hamas solidified its control in Gaza, while Fatah maintained control in the occupied West Bank. Efforts at reconciliation between the two have failed.

Hamas has demonstrated its public support and military organization in Gaza in recent weeks during high-profile prisoner exchanges, which has been embarrassing for both Israel and the PA. Hamas military units moved freely in Gaza and secured the orchestrated prisoner exchanges in front of cheering Palestinian crowds. Israel's stated war aim is to eliminate Hamas. These displays have put immense pressure on the PA, which is already widely viewed as corrupt and a collaborator with Israel by most Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Now, with Trump's return to the White House, the PA is desperately fighting to avoid complete marginalization. They have been besieging the Jenin refugee camp since early December, attacking Palestinian resistance fighters.

Tahani Mustafa, a senior Palestinian analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the attacks a "suicide mission" and a last-ditch attempt by the PA to show it can still project hard power. "The PA is worried that if there is a new government in Gaza that is not them, all their funding will be diverted. Their ultimate fear is that the political center of gravity will shift from the West Bank to Gaza, leaving them in the lurch," Mustafa previously told Middle East Eye.

The aging, sclerotic leadership in Ramallah is central to the Biden administration's post-war governance plan for Gaza, but Trump has barely mentioned the PA. In fact, he has shown little direct interest in Gaza, calling it "just a demolition site now." He has called for Jordan and Egypt to take in Palestinians from Gaza, saying, "we just get rid of the whole thing."

During his first term, Trump downgraded diplomatic relations with the PA by closing the U.S. consulate to Palestinians in Jerusalem, as well as the Palestine Liberation Organization office in Washington D.C. The PLO is a coalition of Palestinian groups led by the PA. Trump's son-in-law and advisor, Jared Kushner, was an antagonist of the PA and sought to block any U.S. cooperation with the institution. These tensions ultimately led to Trump cutting aid to the PA. Kushner presented a proposal in March 2024 to forcibly remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

A former senior U.S. official previously told Middle East Eye that the PA may face a tough challenge in gaining the support of the Trump administration. Gaza provides an opportunity for the United Arab Emirates, the PA's number one critic in the Arab Gulf, to push for a change in Palestinian leadership. The UAE has said that it is willing to send peacekeepers to Gaza if the PA reforms without Abbas. An Egyptian official previously told Middle East Eye that Abbas was "furious" about the proposal.

Within the Palestinian secular elite, there is a division between Abbas and Mohammed Dahlan, a former strongman of Fatah in Gaza. Abbas has ruled in the West Bank without holding elections since 2006. The latter resides in the UAE and is an envoy of the ruling Nahyan family of the UAE. Dahlan was expelled from Fatah, but retains some support in Gaza and the occupied West Bank through his Fatah Democratic Reform group.

Saudi Arabia may be key to the future of the Gaza Strip. In addition to having the funds to rebuild the enclave, it has a more neutral approach to engaging with the various Palestinian factions compared to the UAE. Like the UAE and Bahrain, Saudi Arabia was hostile to Hamas during the Arab Spring, but has since become more tolerant. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has publicly declared that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, while the UAE foreign minister has publicly hosted his Israeli counterpart. Before October 7, 2023, Riyadh hosted a visit from Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated by Israel in July 2024.