A senior Arab diplomat stated Wednesday that Israel’s refusal to let the Palestinian Authority play a role in the postwar management of Gaza is what led to Turkey and Qatar filling the vacuum.

Speaking to The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity, the diplomat said that Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia had been more open to involvement and investment in the Gaza Strip.

However, they conditioned their involvement on a more prominent role for the PA, considering it essential that Ramallah gain a foothold in Gaza in order to reconnect the territory with the West Bank under a unified Palestinian leadership.

Israel has rejected any role for the PA in Gaza, likening the Ramallah-based body to Hamas and insisting that it undergo significant reforms.

The Arab diplomat said Arab countries also back reforming the PA and are chaperoning Ramallah through that process. However, he claimed that Israel’s demand for reform was “disingenuous” and a “guise” for Jerusalem to prevent a two-state solution.

According to the diplomat, there is particular anger in Riyadh over Israel’s withholding of over $4 billion in tax revenues from the PA, as Saudi Arabia has been called on to help compensate for some of those losses.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE will still have representatives on US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, and the UAE will also have a person on the intermediate Gaza Executive Board — both panels involved in the oversight of the postwar Strip. However, the Arab diplomat said that the appetite in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, along with their allies in the region, for more significant involvement and financial investment in Gaza has decreased significantly.

“There’s a feeling that this isn’t heading in the right direction, so the preference for some countries in the Gulf is to mostly........

© The Times of Israel