Become a Member
Opinion

The belief that the PA can govern Gaza is magical thinking

The Palestinian Authority has a dismal record in government

December 10, 2023 13:38
1831272531
AFP or licensors
4 min read

The government has developed a dangerous affliction. Faced with intractable - maybe insoluble - problems, it has started to make policies on the basis of wishing them away, as if stating a much-desired outcome while ignoring serious obstacles could somehow bring it about. This is a species of what psychologists call “magical thinking”.

The first example on show this week was Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s “plan B” Bill to deter migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats by sending them to Rwanda. One can pity Home Secretary James Cleverly for having to announce its details in the Commons knowing that his immigration minister Robert Jenrick had already resigned, but this wasn’t a great example of what Theresa May once called “strong and stable” government. On Friday, the Times reported that Sunak had been warned by lawyers that the plan would be “seriously impeded” because it “provides an easy way” for individuals to avoid deportation, and he now faces serious challenges over the policy from both the Tory left and right.

The second example was less widely reported. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has asserted that the best vehicle for governing Gaza when the war ends is the Palestinian Authority, and the British Support Team, a military unit that has been training the PA’s security forces for many years, should play a vital role, with its “capacity” enhanced.

There is one immediately obvious problem with this prescription: the fact that the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that it doesn’t think the PA should govern post-war Gaza at all. Another is that the PA is led by Mahmoud Abbas, who has a long history of making antisemitic statements. A third is that the months before October 7 saw a surge in terrorist attacks in the PA-governed West Bank - where Hamas still has strong support.