WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of U.S. House members has launched an initiative to advance planning for what Gaza will look like “the day after” the war between Israel and Hamas, even as agreement on a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal remains elusive.
Democratic Reps. Brad Schneider of Illinois and David Trone of Maryland, along with Republicans Ann Wagner of Missouri and Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, formed the Gaza Working Group with the goal of involving Congress in discussions on the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations, according to a joint press release sent to the press on Tuesday.
The four heads of state and government founded the Abraham Accords Caucus in 2022 following the agreement to normalize relations between Israel and the three Arab states of Bahrain, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. The accompanying faction in the US Senate is led by Democratic Senators Jacky Rosen from Nevada and Cory Booker from New Jersey, alongside Republican Senators James Lankford from Oklahoma and Joni Ernst from Iowa.
“As leaders of the Abraham Accords Caucus, we have a commitment to envision and work toward a future in which Israel – and the entire Middle East – is free from the evil of Hamas,” McMorris Rodgers said in a statement.
Trone described the working group as a “promising start.”
“Going forward, we must work together to ensure that Hamas is no longer in power by establishing a free and fair democracy in Gaza, ensuring the security of Israel and surrounding nations, and offering hope and diplomacy to their peoples,” he said in a statement.
The group has not presented or approved a concrete plan for the post-conflict period in Gaza, but its aim is to “convene meetings to bring together” law enforcement officials, diplomats and experts to “advise and ask questions on relevant issues.”
The group’s first meeting was a “candid, confidential exchange” with Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog, the joint press release said. The group met with Herzog on June 4, Schneider’s spokesman said.
Wagner said stabilizing the region was significant to maintain a “common front against Iran and its proxies.”
“Rebuilding Gaza cannot be the job of the United States, but together with Israel we can decide who sits at that table,” Wagner said in a statement.
Ceasefire talks
The lawmakers’ announcement came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the region for his eighth visit since the conflict began, this time to push for an agreement on the recent ceasefire. Suggestion by President Joe Biden on May 31.
The blink told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday that he had “reaffirmed” his commitment to the proposal.
“All the votes have been cast except for one, and that is for Hamas. And that is what we are waiting for,” Blinken said.
Fourteen states in the 15-member United Nations Security Council, including the United States, approved the proposal on Monday. Russia abstained.
The war between Israel and Hamas has been going on since Hamas fighters entered Israel’s southern border on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, according to Israeli sources.
The Number of fatalities The death toll from the ongoing Israeli offensive in the Palestinian Gaza Strip stood at 36,379 at the end of May, according to the Gaza Strip Health Ministry, which is under the control of the Hamas-controlled government.
