Israel will “not accept” the Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with overseeing Gaza’s day-to-day affairs using a Palestinian Authority symbol, the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem said.
“The logo of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which was presented to Israel was entirely different from the one published this evening,” the office stated. “Israel will not accept the use of a Palestinian Authority symbol. The Palestinian Authority will have no part in the administration of Gaza.”
The statement, issued shortly after midnight on Tuesday morning in Israel, followed the committee’s use of a logo that closely resembles the Palestinian Authority’s “coat of arms of Palestine.”
The committee was established last month to oversee civil governance in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war.
The symbol raised concern in Israel that the logo signals a Palestinian Authority takeover, which Jerusalem has long opposed.
The committee downplayed the significance of the discussion about the symbol, stating that its focus on relief represents “the conversation that matters.”
It “has been testing a range of visual concepts since its establishment,” the committee said. “Official branding will be released with the launch of the committee’s website. Designs may evolve, but the decision is NCAG’s.”
Hamas overthrew the Palestinian Authority in Gaza in 2007 in a bloody coup. The terror organization remained in control of Gaza until it attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, triggering an Israeli military campaign that stripped the terror group of much of its control in the Strip.The committee is meant to take over from Hamas as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which began with a ceasefire that went into effect in October.
It has used an emblem featuring the colors of the flag of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and this week, it used an official logo of an eagle with a shield in the colors of the PLO flag above the word “NCAG.”
The P.A. emblem is almost identical, with the word “Palestine” below the flag.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently opposed giving the Palestinian Authority a foothold in Gaza.
