As we enter a ceasefire, four conclusions can be drawn as the basis for a new order in the Gaza Strip now that the shooting is over.
• First is that Hamas suffered a devastating blow. Its military assets, administration infrastructure and underground system of tunnels have been destroyed. Israel had proved yet again its military superiority, mainly in anti-missiles defense, intelligence and in precise air strikes.
• Second is that the already difficult humanitarian conditions of two million Palestinians living in Gaza has become even more serious.
• Third is that it is practically impossible to govern Gaza and provide a normal life to the population under the banner of muqauama (“resistance”), which means permanent military conflict with Israel. Gaza is densely populated, and the citizens are too poor and weak to pay the high price of Hamas’s aggressive ideology.
• The final conclusion to be drawn is that a permanent solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a two-state solution, is not yet achievable because of a lack of political resolve on both sides.
Indeed, conflicting interests of various players prevail in the regional arena.
Hamas wants to keep controlling the Gaza Strip, though its practical ability to do so has been substantially damaged. The group insists on pursuing the role of leading the Palestinian national movement and of taking over the PLO. The main part of this strategy is attempting to expand violence and terrorism to the West Bank.
Other players in the game are Turkey and Qatar, which keep supporting Hamas, both financially and politically.
The Israeli public is sick and tired of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policy of maintaining Hamas’s control in Gaza, buying intervals of quiet by funneling of Qatari money to the terrorist group. This money, supplied to Hamas by Qatar with the support of Netanyahu, enabled the huge military build-up that Israel is now trying to destroy.
The Israeli public is not alone. Several Arab countries, those who struggle with the subversion of Hamas and other like-minded organizations, want to see the Hamas regime in Gaza cease to exist. For their citizens, it is living proof that this kind of organization, by using brutal force and with help of Turkey and Qatar, can subdue its internal rivals and keep ruling its people.
And so, this is the time for these countries to take action, to offer Palestinians in Gaza an alternative. When the people in Gaza realize once again the calamity brought on them by Hamas, they may welcome a reasonable, though imperfect, alternative.
WHAT SHOULD this alternative look like? With the support of the international community and under the auspices of the Arab League, a civilian, non-partisan Palestinian administration could be established in the Strip. Palestinian professionals from all walks of life and social standings could serve in various positions. The incompetent, failed regime of Hamas, already severely weakened by Israeli strikes, will be non-violently replaced by the new administration, backed by Arab states. The new order in the Gaza Strip will be enshrined in a new UN Security Council resolution and resolution from the Arab League.
The primary missions of this civil administration would be the reconstruction of Gaza and the management of the governmental services such as healthcare and education. Another main mission would be economic development and encouragement of foreign investments. A special office would transparently monitor foreign aid and projects involving water, sewage and electricity. This entire administration would be under the control of the Palestinian government in Ramallah, but with independent management.
If such a non-partisan administration is established, Qatar will no longer be dominantly involved in Gaza. Other Gulf countries will replace it. The external security of the Gaza Strip could be under the responsibility of Egypt. Domestic security would be under a new police agency, reporting to the civil administration, not to Hamas.
Israel will assist, when requested to do so, the activities of the new Gaza civil administration, including those involving trade, labor, energy and activity at crossing points. Four years after its establishment, elections would take place.
The alternative path described here could offer the population of Gaza a safer and better future. The citizens of Israel living in the South would gain the calm and security they deserve after thousands of rockets hitting them for more than two decades.
Still, whatever the next step is to improve the Gaza situation, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be resolved. The International quartet, together with the Arab quartet, should act now to encourage the parties to resume negotiations for a permanent status agreement based on two states.
The writer is a retired Israeli general, a former West Bank governor, former negotiator for Israel dealing with the PLO, and a former deputy minister of Defense. He is currently chairman of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Strategic Dialogue at Netanya Academic College.