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Ad Hoc Studies

The New Palestinian Authority Government

On March 31, 2024, the 19th Palestinian government was sworn in at Mahmoud Abbas' office in Ramallah. It is headed by Dr. Muhammad Mustafa. the government ministers do not belong to any political party. Its platform emphasized that the government regards Judea, Samaria, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip as one political-geographic unit with the PLO as the source of its authority (Wafa, March 28, 2024). The new government is defined as "a government of technocrats" and has almost no known figures with a political past. It has 23 ministers, compared to 26 in the government headed by Muhammad Shtayyeh, and has representation for the Gaza Strip, Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem. Seven of the government ministers are from the Gaza Strip (currently staying in Ramallah), 14 from Judea and Samaria, and two are residents of east Jerusalem. There are four women in the government. Two ministers are Christians and the rest are Muslims. Most of the ministers are in their sixties. The vast majority have advanced degrees from universities abroad. Two of the members of the government, Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa and Ziad Hab al-Reeh, have political experience, but while all the other ministers have an impressive record in civilian and academic fields, they lack political experience. The ITIC has no information about their political positions or their positions regarding Israel and the conflict, since so far they have seldom been interviewed or expressed positions on those issues. However, contrary to Mustafa's statements that the new government is manned by independent technocrats, a detailed examination revealed that at least four of the ministers are unequivocally members of Fatah and in the past ran for positions on behalf of the movement, headed by Interior Minister Ziad Hab al-Reeh. At least two of them were previously detained by Israel.
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Organizing Aid Flotillas to the Gaza Strip and international arenas

Since the beginning of the Gaza Strip War, initiatives have been undertaken around the globe to organize boats and ships to bring aid to the Gaza Strip, leading to the establishment of the International Campaign to Save Gaza (ICSG), which was announced on November 23, 2023 during a conference held in Istanbul.. Recently the organization, behind which is the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), announced it would launch a ship from Libya to El Arish in the near future, and would launch another ship from Lebanon. Zaher Birawi, the ICSG chairman, announced the launch of a flotilla to "break the blockade of the Gaza Strip," most likely four ships from European countries. The Turkish IHH announced it had purchased several ships for the flotilla, which is expected to set sail in mid-April. In addition to sending humanitarian the flotilla organizers intend to turn them into anti-Israeli media campaigns. The arrival of aid ships, especially those with "activists" from around the world, could challenge the Israeli Navy. There is also a concern that aid arriving by sea will enter Gaza without Israeli supervision and the ships will be used to smuggle weapons. Should the ships also be carrying people with political influence and media personnel, they could complicate world public opinion for Israel. In the past Zaher Birawi stated that the main purpose of the flotillas was to raise awareness and discredit Israel, and to publicize the political and media campaigns accompanying the flotillas.
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ISIS calls for attacking Christians and Jews everywhere

ISIS’ spokesman calls (March 28, 2024) to attack Christians and Jews everywhere around the world, especially in the United States, Europe, and Israel, and praises the terrorist attack carried out by the organization in Moscow on March 22, 2024. Referring to the war in the Gaza Strip, the spokesman says the solution to the problems of Muslims is fighting the infidels, and unity under the banner of Islam and Islamic law (Sharia). According to him, the campaign against the Jews will not be complete without fighting their allies among the renegades who deviated from Islam (the Arab regimes) and the Crusaders (Christians) everywhere. He conveys a message of support, on behalf of the organization's leader, for the organization's prisoners in Syria and calls for fighting to free them. He also sends a message to the Jews and infidels, especially to the United States, that they have achieved nothing in their war against ISIS and that the next war will be a face-to-face war between Muslims and infidels until the victory of Islam, as promised to the Muslims by Allah.
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The Palestinian perspective on alternatives for managing the Gaza Strip “the day after”

The Gaza Strip is currently preoccupied with ways to deliver humanitarian aid to local residents, while the Palestinian and Arab media are preoccupied with the issue of "the day after" in the Gaza Strip, and several possibilities have been mentioned. The Palestinian Authority (PA) regards itself as the Gaza Strip's best administrator. It views the war in the Gaza Strip as a window of opportunity for regaining control of the Strip, and as another step towards establishing an independent Palestinian state. To further the goal, the PA's governing institutions are being reorganized. Hamas regards itself as being central to the administration of the Strip even "the day after." The Hamas leadership claims the solution will be internal and Palestinian and voices strong opposition to international intervention and the talk about establishing a national consensus government and integrating Hamas into the PLO. The idea of turning the Gaza Strip over to the heads of the clans and large families was first raised by Israel. The heads of the clans proved themselves to be a force in the Gaza Strip and successfully transferred part of the humanitarian aid. However, a significant number of clans are affiliated with Hamas and other terrorist groups. Muhammad Dahlan, the ousted senior Fatah figure, who currently resides in Abu Dhabi, regards the situation as an opportunity to return to political activity and formulate a plan for the reconstruction of the Strip, and to that end could mobilize Arab capital and the security of Arab forces. Other possibilities: Such as the establishment of an interim regime, led by the United States and with the participation of regional countries which will rule the Strip for several years until power is handed over to the PA. There is also the possibility of deploying an Arab peacekeeping force after the withdrawal of the IDF forces, which does not rule out the participation of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) representatives in the governing body. At the moment there is no solution agreed upon by everyone and all the proposals have shortcomings. In any solution "for the day after," Hamas, which is popular with the majority of the Gazans, will not disappear, and will work to influence events and become a part of any future administration.
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Expansion of Houthi Activities in the Red Sea

During the past two months the activities of the Houthis in Yemen have expanded. They have continued attacking targets they define as "Israeli" or "supporting Israel," mainly vessels sailing in the Red Sea on sea lanes passing through Israel, and have declared their intention to expand their attacks to the Indian Ocean and the sea route around the southern tip of Africa. Meanwhile, they have attacked American and British warships, as well as ships belonging to European Union countries which joined the campaign against the Houthi threat, all of which they claim help Israel and all of which attack Houthi forces in Yemeni territory.Three missiles were launched at Israel, one of which entered Israel's airspace and exploded in its territory, without damage or casualties, the first time for such an occurrence. Nevertheless, there has recently been a noticeable decline in the number of missiles and UAVs launched at Israeli territory compared to the beginning of the war. In ITIC assessment, the conflict in the Red Sea area will continue as long as the war in the Gaza Strip continues, and may escalate if the Houthis do in fact make good on their threat to attack ships in the Indian Ocean and thereby endanger the Asia's entire maritime trade with the West.
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The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research quarterly public opinion poll shows a certain decline in support for Hamas and the “armed resistance”

On March 20, 2024, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR), headed by Dr. Khalil Shikaki, published the main findings of the quarterly survey of the opinions of the residents of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip. It was the second survey conducted by the institute during the war in the Gaza Strip. Several conclusions arose from the survey findings: A decrease was recorded both in Judea and Samaria and in the Gaza Strip in the level of support for Hamas and the "armed resistance" . Some of the answers showed trust in Hamas was gaining strength in the Gaza Strip. 70% of the respondents living in shelters in the Gaza Strip reported that the distribution of food was affected by political affiliation and carried out unfairly. Regarding the effect of the war on the internal Palestinian balance of power, the survey indicated a significant change.
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