Anti-Hamas Gazans Ask Western Powers to Back Self-Rule

Unprecedented Gazan outreach spans North America and Europe.

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CPC in the News

In Five Western Parliaments, Gazans Call for Enclaves of Post-Hamas Administration

Gazans want protected “islands” to pilot de-radicalization and good governance — and propose that Western aid pledged to UNRWA be reallocated to fund them.

Over the past 11 weeks, Gazan activists aspiring to forge non-Hamas self-rule have spoken with members of parliament in Germany, Italy, Spain, and Canada, in addition to Members of the U.S. Congress. Lawmakers responded by proposing financial support for Gazan anti-Hamas “free zones,” a goal which has gained currency among Israeli government divisions and Gazan dissidents alike.

The speakers, including organizers of Gaza’s 2019 anti-Hamas street demonstrations, are seeking international support to establish a governing body within the coastal enclave that would be free of Hamas interference, protected by Israeli or other troops, and internally patrolled and administered by Palestinians. They propose to establish this body in the near future, regardless of when and how the present war ends.

Unable to participate in person due to travel restrictions, the Palestinian participants communicated via video conference facilitated by the Center for Peace Communications. Speakers’ names were shared with lawmakers on condition of non-public disclosure, affording them a measure of safety in an environment still dominated by Hamas enforcers. 

The Western participants crossed party lines, ranging from Germany’s governing Green party on the left to the Spanish opposition People’s Party on the right. Their discussions garnered national coverage in German, Spanish, Italian, and Canadian media.

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Franck Muller-Rosentritt, a Christian Democratic Union MP in Berlin who held talks with the group in May, publicly relayed some of the information that the activists shared with him on the call. “I learned from the calls that Hamas uses Al-Jazeera, Al-Aqsa TV, and a propaganda effort enforced by fear to fool outsiders into thinking all Gazans support them,” he said. “In fact, I understand how the vast majority of Gazans are disgusted by Hamas, blame it for a generation of suffering, and fear an outcome to the present war that leaves Hamas in power.”

“They’re asking for something very practical,” Muller-Rosentritt observed. “Cordon off an area where they can forge a decent, rules-based system, then let the population judge where it would rather live.”

One of the Gazan speakers, representing the coastal strip’s dwindling Christian minority population, described a toxic environment for remaining Christians in Gaza. “Even before the war, we couldn’t have coffee on the beach unmolested, let alone ring church bells,” he told Italian and Spanish MPs, arguing that a new experiment at civil rule in Gaza could foster a culture of tolerance and inclusivity.

Several lawmakers suggested that a portion of their governments’ foreign aid now pledged to UNRWA be reallocated to support alternative aid distribution channels and civil development projects by Gazans unaffiliated with Hamas. As UNRWA refuses to hire or partner with Gazan opponents of the Hamas regime, MPs agreed it would be wrong to perpetuate a system that precludes their future role in public life.

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Italian Senator Giulio Terzi, former foreign minister of Italy, said, “It has become overwhelmingly clear that money being sent to Gaza is being used to prop up Hamas's destructive rule. There are Gazans who, given the opportunity, would see their homes rebuilt and seek to live in peace next to Israel. These are efforts well worth funding.”

Mideast envoy Dennis Ross, Counselor at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Chair of CPC’s Board, commended the sessions: “In their testimony to European and North American officials, Gazan civilians opposing Hamas braved risk to deliver a defiant message. This action reflects Palestinians' broader aspiration to turn the page on a generation of Hamas rule in Gaza — as well as their fear that continued Hamas dominance will mean no hope for the future, no rebuilding of Gaza, and more death and destruction for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”