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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Arrest of 'future governor': Gulf monarchies start big game for Gaza

2025-09-14

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Leonid Tsukanov

[REGNUM] Recently, influential businessman and politician Samir Khalila, who was recently tipped to become the "governor of post-war Gaza", was detained in Ramallah. Local security services carried out the arrest under the pretext of ensuring national security, citing Khalila's "ambiguous" interviews from a month ago.

However, it is much more likely that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is thus removing a potential competitor from the board – and at the instigation of influential friends from the Gulf.

A WEIGHTY FIGURE
Samir Khalila is not only a successful businessman, but also an experienced politician who took part in strengthening the international authority of the Palestinian movement. In particular, he is a co-author of the Protocol on Economic Relations between the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) of 1994, which ensured the stabilization of the Palestinian economy and the establishment of trade and industrial cooperation.

In addition, Khalila held senior positions in the Palestinian government - he was deputy chairman and head of the presidential office under Ahmed Qurei, the predecessor of the current PNA leader Mahmoud Abbas. For several years, he headed the Palestine Stock Exchange.

Despite the fact that Khalil's political activity ceased in the early 2000s (when Abbas' supporters took over) and his current activity is concentrated mainly in the private sector, the businessman's weight and authority among Palestinians remains high.

This is partly due to strong business connections. For example, Khalila’s associates include the “Palestinian Rothschild” Bashar al-Masri, who maintains good contacts with the Donald Trump administration.

So good that al-Masri and his business partners were even considered by Washington for some time as possible builders of the “Palestinian Riviera” on the site of the Gaza Strip. However, as the businessman himself has repeatedly emphasized, he never received any specific proposals from the White House.

Overall, it is not surprising that with such a track record and entourage, Khalila’s figure was considered virtually untouchable for a long time.

"SECURITY THREAT"
Clouds began to gather over Khalila in mid-August 2025, when in an interview with the Arab press he declared his readiness to become the governor of the "Gaza transition period" allegedly with the consent of the United States and "a number of Arab countries." The businessman emphasized that for now he is only "one of the candidates," but his nomination has been agreed upon with the PNA

… Palestinian National Authority is the official name of the Palestinian Authority…

authorities and does not raise any objections.

Bibi has announced repeatedly that Israel will not allow the Palestinian Authority to take over governing Gaza after Hamas is driven out. Which means that Mr. Khalila will not govern Gaza, no matter how long the list of his virtues.

True, official Ramallah quickly refuted Khalila's thesis, stating that it knew nothing about the "transitional authorities" of Gaza. A subsequent journalistic investigation, initiated at the instigation of Palestinian functionaries, led to the trail of the well-known Israeli lobbyist Ari Ben-Menashe.

The latter founded a consulting firm in Canada, through which he established multilateral cooperation. On the one hand, the firm dealt with American officials (the Pentagon, the State Department, and the White House) and Israeli leaders (mainly the Prime Minister's Office), on the other - Arab officials (representatives of Egypt, Jordan, and "several Arabian monarchies"), and on the third - representatives of the Palestinian political establishment.

At the same time, Ben-Menashe received instructions from Tel Aviv about which figures would best serve Israel's long-term interests.

The correctness of the investigators’ guesses was indirectly confirmed by Khalila himself, who stated earlier in an August interview that he had been contacted by a “Canadian contractor” authorized by the US authorities to negotiate with candidates for governor of Gaza.

It became clear that Tel Aviv decided to act not directly, but through loyal forces within the United States.

The attempt to rely on an alternative figure is also due to the weakening of pressure in the enclave from various “Bedouin militias” (de facto small armed groups) subordinate to the “Gaza Management Committee” headed by Yasser Abu Shabab.

The Committee's loyalists, trained and armed by Tel Aviv and based in close proximity to Israeli checkpoints in the enclave, contrary to the calculations of Israeli strategists, do not enjoy local support and are perceived by the population exclusively as collaborators. In contrast to them, the figure of the retiree who stood at the origins of Palestinian statehood looks much more advantageous.

True, the combination did not succeed: Khalila was preemptively arrested by the PNA special services and placed into custody under the pretext of “creating a threat to national security.”

BEHIND THE SCENES GAMES
Khalila's arrest stirred up the public not only in the Palestinian Authority's area of operation, but also far beyond its borders. And, judging by the somewhat delayed reaction of the participants in the process, the actions of the PNA special services came as a surprise to them.

Washington, Tel Aviv and key Arab capitals are maintaining a pointed silence and simultaneously figuring out who exactly is trying to seize the initiative in the behind-the-scenes struggle for the future of Gaza.

One of the most likely shadow beneficiaries of Khalila's arrest could be the UAE. Despite the fact that the Emirates is a regional partner and ally of Israel, and also supports the course of establishing a "transitional administration" in the enclave, the appearance in it of a figure so clearly oriented towards the US and Israel poses a threat to the long-term interests of Abu Dhabi, primarily economic ones.

The elites in the UAE are convinced that through Khalilu and his cronies, Tel Aviv will quickly squeeze Arab companies out of Palestine, replacing them with American and Israeli firms.

It would not be difficult for Abu Dhabi to knock the Israeli creature out of the race, at least temporarily. Especially considering that Ramallah's modern secret services were essentially raised with the participation of advisers from the Gulf.

A much more advantageous match for the Emirates is Mohammed Dahlan (also known as Abu Fadi ), a former influential security official and politician, close to the founder of the PLO, Yasser Arafat. Despite the fact that Dahlan has been out of favor with the PNA for more than ten years and lives in Abu Dhabi, where he serves as an adviser to the government, his return to the enclave should, in theory, not cause any difficulties.

Ah, one can no longer live far from Gaza and assume one is safe from Israeli bullets… or missiles, as the case may be. Is it wise to bring names into the public eye, where Israel might take notice of them?

Moreover, Dahlan, who is originally from the Palestinian Khan Yunis, may return to Gaza after the end of the conflict, including in the status of “Arafat’s heir,” who was at one time unfairly slandered by Fatah and Hamas.

Might, yes. May? A different question best addressed to the Israeli government.

And judging by the fact that in recent weeks more and more materials have appeared in the Arab segment of social networks where Dahlan is presented as a hero, the Emirates have already begun to implement this scenario.

On the other hand, the current Palestinian administration, which is striving to return to Gaza at any cost, could have decided on a confrontation itself. Including because it considers the enclave to be part of the territories of a future independent state. And therefore does not intend to "scatter lands". However, Ramallah would not have gotten into trouble without an influential patron.

And here it is time for Qatar to enter the scene, which has recently had a grudge against Israel and is looking for ways to obtain satisfaction for the September airstrike on its capital.

Satisfaction, is it? Good luck with that.

By supporting Ramallah's claims to the Gaza Strip, Doha will be able to solve several problems at once. First, it will disrupt Israel's plan to establish indirect control over the former combat zone - since Tel Aviv will not be able to quickly find a balanced replacement for Khalil.

Secondly, to strengthen one's own authority within Palestine. To present oneself as the most active and consistent defender of Palestinian interests and thus gain influence not only on individual branches of government, but also on the system of governance as a whole.

Finally, Doha will protect its own business interests in Gaza. And given the need to restore the enclave after months of bombing, it will also increase the wealth of the al-Thani family through lucrative investment contracts.

True, the question remains open as to whom exactly Qatar will oppose the arrested Khalil and the non-public Dahlan. Finding a worthy figure within the PNA who is capable of gaining street support is becoming increasingly difficult (given the falling ratings of Abbas and his entourage). And there is no time left to cultivate one's own creature from scratch.

Posted by:badanov

#1 comments); ?>werwer

Posted by: Secret Master 2025-09-14 19:51

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