Qatar PM Wants Palestinian Authority To Control Government In Gaza

JAKARTA - Qatar's prime minister said he hoped the Palestinian Authority (PA) would return to play the role of government in Gaza after the Hamas war with Israel ended.

Speaking at the annual World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani warned Gazans and not other countries to regulate how the region would act.

"We hope to see PA back in Gaza. We hope to see a government that really overcomes the problems of the people there. The Jlan that must be taken to overcome Gaza and its destruction is still long," Al Thani said.

How Gaza will be ruled after the war is not discussed directly in the agreement between Israel and the Hamas militant group that led to a ceasefire and release of hostages after nearly 15 months of negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US.

Israel rejects Hamas' role in the government, which controlled Gaza before the war. But they also oppose the government of the Palestinian Authority, a body formed under Oslo's temporary peace agreement three decades ago that limits rule in the region.

The PA, which was dominated by Fatah factions formed by former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, faced opposition from its rival faction Hamas, who expelled PA from Gaza in 2007 after a brief civil war.