The US has strongly backed Israel’s war against Hamas. The allies don’t seem to know what comes next

By JOSEF FEDERMAN and AMY TEIBEL
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — When Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked who would govern the Gaza Strip following Israel’s war against Hamas, he said a return of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority made “the most sense.” What he failed to mention is that the Palestinian Authority, weak and deeply unpopular with its own people, has already said it has no interest in assuming power if it is helped by Israel. Blinken’s comments reflected what some analysts see as the questionable assumptions and short-term thinking that have guided American and Israeli policymakers since Israel declared war in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attack in which its militants killed more than 1,400 people and took roughly 240 others hostage.