As of now, it is impossible to obtain from the Prime Minister's Office or from Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar an explanation for the odd statement issued by Netanyahu's office late Saturday night.
Netanyahu's statement said that "the declaration on the composition of the Gaza governing board, which is subordinate to the peace board, was not coordinated with Israel and contradicts its policy. The prime minister instructed the foreign minister to raise the issue with the US secretary of state."
The first question is what, precisely, was not coordinated and what contradicts Israel's policy. Was it the announcement by Trump and the administration over the weekend about moving to Phase 2? The makeup of the board? The inclusion of Qatari and Turkish representatives? The failure to return Ran Gvili? All of the above?
The second question is whether Netanyahu really expects Sa'ar to resolve with Marco Rubio a dispute that existed between Netanyahu himself and Trump. That does not sound especially plausible. But even if that were the case, since when and why does he announce it publicly? The very public nature of this move is doubly puzzling, because passing the ball to Sa'ar looks like an attempt by Netanyahu to distance himself from a burning coal he is unable to extinguish.
Indeed, the announcement of the move to Phase B, which Netanyahu says "was not coordinated with Israel and contradicts its policy," brings to the surface gaps that have been steadily widening for several weeks at the operational level between the US and Israel. From the international headquarters in Kiryat Gat come reports of disputes between the two countries over both the present and the future of Gaza.
Israelis, meaning IDF officers, are frustrated by the entry of dual-use materials into the Gaza Strip and by the fact that Hamas is rebuilding and reorganizing militarily. The Americans, along with representatives of other countries, brush off these Israeli concerns with assurances of "it will be fine, trust us."
Until now, at least until the evening in question, Israel had little choice but to bend. After all, it accepted this arrangement as part of the deal to end the war. Now, however, Netanyahu says that this arrangement contradicts the government's policy. Even so, there is not much he can do about it. Gaza has been handed over to international administration.
To change that, a phone call between Gideon Sa'ar and Marco Rubio will not suffice. It would require a confrontation with the entire world. And that is not something one does through a press release.
