Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s emotional vow to “destroy” Hamas, which massacred some 1,200 people on October 7, 2023, is understandable. But in reality, that was never a achievable goal. Eight months into the ensuing conflict, which has left more than 35,000 Palestinians dead, Hamas is still fighting in the Gaza Strip, which it believed to be controlled by Israeli forces, and A humanitarian crisis looms around Rafah, with 640,000 people once again displaced and the suffering of the Israeli people continuing. Hostages and their families are renewed every day. Three more bodies were recovered on Friday.
Overthrowing Hamas remains a challenge important purpose Israel and most Western and Arab governments, as well as ordinary people, are appalled by the action. But from the outset, Prime Minister Netanyahu has failed, or even refused, to articulate a “next day” strategy for managing (and rebuilding) Gaza, which was supposedly “ruined” by the terrorist rulers. Despite the evidence, he refuses to accept that military force alone does not work. If Hamas’ defeat is to be permanent, it will have to be as much political, legal, economic, and psychological as physical.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s actions have fueled suspicions that he is seeking to wage war indefinitely to prolong the survival and career of his fragile coalition. These tensions escalated publicly last week when Defense Minister Yoav Gallant accused Israel of leading Israel into an endlessly contested military and civilian occupation of Gaza that undermines its security (as happened before the 2005 evacuation). exploded. sparking the ongoing Hamas insurgency.
Gallant proposed that Israel agree to the following Alternative Palestinian leadership in Gaza. This followed an earlier unofficial proposal to give Fatah’s Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority a leading role. Prime Minister Netanyahu flatly rejected the idea, knowing that his far-right allies would rather see his government fall than agree. “I will never replace Hamastan with Fatahistan,” he said, renewing his vow to fight to the end. This national division at the top of the Israeli government and the continued stalemate in ceasefire negotiations could fuel the belief that Hamas is reportedly winning a parallel war seeking international sympathy. be.
The lack of an agreed strategy for peace must be urgently addressed. As Prime Minister Netanyahu refuses to change his stance and Israel’s political establishment appears unable to replace him or unseat him, the international community must take control. I have to hold on to it. Plans for the “next day” already exist in broad outline. All you need to do is take action. The first one focuses on the following proposals. Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Morocco Lead international forces in Gaza to prevent Hamas from re-establishing itself politically. In a separate, related move, the Arab League last week UN peacekeeping mission in Gaza and the West Bank.
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US officials, including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who is visiting Saudi Arabia and Israel, are meanwhile formulating an ambitious “plan.”huge deal” aimed not only to isolate Hamas and stop the war in Gaza, but also to finally resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On the table is Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel in exchange for full U.S. security and eventual recognition by Israel (and allies such as the U.S. and the U.K.) of an independent Palestinian state. . The fabled two-state solution may finally become a reality.
It’s a long game. But the dizzying anger stemming from the escalating attacks on Rafah, mass starvation due to aid cutoffs, Israeli lawsuits in The Hague over alleged genocide, and Hamas’ despicable exploitation of Palestinian suffering In the midst of this, it is important to remember that there is still a way out. This quagmire of misery. You still have options. And even if he cannot see it with his own eyes, Prime Minister Netanyahu in particular must be firmly told by Israel’s friends that now is the time to choose peace.
