Israeli plan to hand over control of Gaza to tribes bound to fail, experts say
An Israeli plan to involve local tribes in the administration of Gaza would promote chaos in the enclave, experts and residents said.
A group representing Gaza’s tribes issued a statement on Sunday rejecting the plan, which was reportedly drawn up by Israel’s Shin Bet internal security service and the military, but has not yet been officially announced.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported in January that the plan would be sent to the government for approval.
Israel is seeking options for Gaza’s administration after the war to eliminate Hamas, the group that has ruled the enclave since 2007. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the idea of handing over control to the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority based in the occupied West Bank.
The National Gathering of Palestinian Tribes, Clans and Families in the Gaza Strip said on Sunday that they “are not an alternative to any Palestinian political system”.
The tribes are a part of “the Palestinian national components, and a part supportive of the resistance, safeguarding and protecting the internal front”, the group said.
The tribal system is a crucial part of Gaza’s social fabric, and provided residents with an alternative to Israeli courts, police and other authorities during Israel’s occupation between 1967 and 1993.
However, it also has negative aspects, including blood feuds, summary justice and competition for power. Some of the more prominent tribes have been accused of spreading disorder to promote their own interests, but their influence has been limited since Hamas seized control of Gaza from the PA in 2007.
The Israel-Gaza war, which started on October 7 when Hamas killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took about 240 others as hostages, has devastated the enclave.
Israel’s air and ground campaign has killed more than 31,200 people in Gaza, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry, and has displaced most of the population, resulting in a humanitarian crisis and widespread hunger.
Reports that Israel was planning to involve the tribes in governing the territory emerged amid international debate over the postwar future of the enclave.
The plan involves dividing Gaza into regions, where local clans would be responsible
The tribal system is a crucial part of Gaza’s social fabric, but it also has negative aspects, such as blood feuds
for civil administration and the distribution of humanitarian aid, Kan reported.
Salah Al Atti, chairman of the International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights – the Palestinian chapter of Transparency International – called the plan a typical example of Israeli policy.
“The occupation aims to create divisions and spread chaos within Gaza,” Mr Al Atti told The National.
“It is currently trying to exploit their suffering and enforce the occupation agenda, deepening and pushing matters towards chaos, insecurity, and internal strife.”
Rabhi Sayyam, a legal researcher, said the plan would only bring further disorder.
“The occupation’s ideas regarding the rule of tribes in the Gaza Strip cannot be realistic, and are bound to fail, because the tribal system in Gaza is inherently weak, and our societal system is based on law and courts as a primary authority,” Mr Sayyam said.
“The tribal role was limited to facilitating some aspects of life and complementing the law, with clan elders following instructions from the police and the judicial system.
“The power of families, no matter how strong, would not be able to maintain security, order, or oversee the administration of the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.”
He said tribal rule would only result in “conflict and competition among clans, potentially resulting in violent internal strife”.
“The clans are aware of this, which is why it is difficult for them to accept ideas of this nature.”
Those without ties to major tribes would face further problems under this plan, said Saber Morjan, a resident of Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.
“I come from a small and non-extended family, which means that under tribal rule, people like me would be caught between conflicts and have their rights disregarded,” he said.
“There is also the risk of persecution and violence from some members of ruling tribes.”