For Palestinians, U.S. Talk of a “Revitalized” PA in Gaza Is Code for Outsourced Oppression
InterceptAUG 2023
US Middle East Envoy Meets Netanyahu in Israel
Above: U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff after a meeting with relatives of hostages held in Gaza in Tel Aviv, Israel, on May 13, 2025. Image copyright: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The sanctions placed on the PA are largely performative, though they have clearly been timed to give support to Netanyahu's government as Western countries consider recognizing a Palestinian state. The Trump administration's consistent deference to Netanyahu has only complicated the situation and prevented a resolution.
Pro-Israel narrative
Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel was the final nail in the coffin for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Since Israel disengaged from Gaza in 2005, the enclave has essentially existed as a terrorist-run proto-state controlled by Hamas. Given the PA's inefficacy, Israel has no partners for peace, and the last 20 years in Gaza prove this. A violent, terrorist-run Palestinian state would be an existential threat to Israel's security.
Pro-Palestine narrative
The great irony of the debate regarding the PA is that Palestinians, especially in the occupied West Bank, by and large see the political body as an extension of Israel's occupation. Indeed, the PA has presented itself as a great asset to Israel, as it can outsource its security goals to local Palestinian collaborators. Furthermore, PA President Mahmoud Abbas has bent over backwards to appease the United States and Israel, even at the cost of displeasing Palestinians, yet this is not enough to satisfy a genocidal Israeli government.