US opposes any proposed buffer zone within Gaza

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) – The US would oppose any proposed buffer zone within Gaza, saying it is a violation of Washington’s principle that there must be no reduction in the size of the Gaza Strip.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said during the daily press briefing that the US laid out the principles regarding the post-war Gaza.

“One of those principles is that there must be no reduction in the size of Gaza,” he said, adding, “So if any proposed buffer zone is inside Gaza that would be a violation of that principle.”

When asked about the possibility of an international force in post-war Gaza, Miller said there will need to be some transition period after combat operations end, but that it is too early to define the parameters.

“These are the types of conversations we are engaging in with our allies and with our partners in the region,” he said.

“I think it is too early to definitively prescribe any solution,” he said, adding that the US focuses on how the post-conflict environment in Gaza should look.