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Palestinian Deputy President Hussein al-Sheikh said the Palestinian Authority has “full jurisdiction over the Gaza Strip,” revealing that the PA has called on Hamas to “hand over its weapons.”
Al-Sheikh’s remarks came during an exclusive interview with Sky News Arabia on Saturday focused on the future of governance and security in Gaza after the war, as well as efforts to advance the political process.
Al-Sheikh stressed that Hamas’s rule over Gaza must come to an end, revealing previous attempts to reach an administrative settlement in the enclave.
“Hamas will not remain in power in the Gaza Strip,” he stressed.
Regarding security arrangements and the group’s future, al-Sheikh explained the core disagreement hindering reconciliation efforts: “We proposed that Hamas hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority only—this is the sole way out of this issue—but we have not yet reached an agreement with them on this matter.”
On future administrative arrangements, al-Sheikh reaffirmed the PA’s central role, stating that the Palestinian Authority has full jurisdiction over the Gaza Strip.
"Even if we talk about a transitional phase, which must ultimately lead to a political path that preserves the two-state solution," he said.
He emphasized the importance of the international community’s role and the PA’s aspiration to achieve a stable political and security phase once the conflict ends.
“The Palestinian Authority wants any decision issued by the U.N. Security Council to succeed so that we can move to the second phase related to political and security issues,” al-Sheikh said.
Regarding the broader political track, al-Sheikh noted that dialogue with Washington continues.
“The talks between us and the U.S. administration are ongoing to ensure the Palestinian people’s rights, self-determination, and the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he added.
He also expressed pessimism about finding a genuine Israeli partner for peace at this stage but said recent recognitions of the State of Palestine represent “a diplomatic and political safeguard for the two-state solution.”
Hussein al-Sheikh: International force in Gaza must not be offensive
On Gaza’s postwar security file, al-Sheikh said the Palestinian Authority does not oppose the presence of an international stabilization force in the Gaza Strip but outlined specific conditions for it.
“We do not oppose the presence of an international stabilization force in Gaza, but we demand that it be authorized by a U.N. Security Council resolution,” he said, stressing that such a force must not be “a striking or offensive force.”
Al-Sheikh said that, in coordination with the Arab and Islamic groups, the PA had requested amendments to the U.S. draft resolution “to guarantee political and legal jurisdiction and ensure the geographic and demographic link between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.”
On internal reform, al-Sheikh said, “Palestinian legitimacy can only come through elections and through the people’s choice of their representatives.”
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