Former Israeli security officials are divided on how to address the increasing anarchy in the northern Gaza Strip. However, many agree that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lack of a viable plan for governing the enclave makes it impossible to move towards a more stable future.
Mr. Netanyahu has proposed a vague plan that suggests Israeli security control over Gaza after the war. He has also rejected U.S. calls for an overhauled Palestinian Authority to govern the enclave, which currently has limited governing powers in the West Bank.
But there are no easy options. Many Palestinians view the Palestinian Authority as corrupt and mismanaged, and it is distrusted by many in Mr. Netanyahu’s government. Some politicians and retired Israeli military officials have suggested Israel occupy Gaza, at least temporarily, but this is widely opposed by the international community and would severely limit Palestinian freedoms. The response of Hamas and other factions to an occupation would also present a significant challenge.
Some former Israeli officials argue that Mr. Netanyahu must establish a governing body now in areas where the army has withdrawn to prevent Hamas from regrouping and to stop chaos from spreading. They contend that Israel will likely need to continue returning to parts of Gaza that it has vacated to combat resurgent Hamas militants in the short term, but without a more comprehensive plan, Israeli soldiers would be engaged in a prolonged war of attrition.
“It’s a huge mistake” not to have a governing plan now, said Gen. Gadi Shamni, a retired commander of the army’s Gaza division. “It might take months or even years to create a successful alternative, but we need to start moving things in that direction.”
“We will continue doing these back and forth operations much longer than necessary,” he said.
In February, Mr. Netanyahu called for Israeli military control over Gaza and for the “administration of civilian affairs and the enforcement of public order” to be based on “local stakeholders with managerial experience.” Many experts interpreted the plan as an effort to procrastinate on serious action.
General Shamni said that Mr. Netanyahu’s stance reflected his unwillingness to let the Palestinian Authority take over governance in Gaza. His government depends on hard-line coalition partners who are opposed to the authority’s aspirations for Palestinian statehood.
“What’s most important to him is his political survival,” General Shamni said.
Israeli soldiers in the central Gaza Strip, during a tour for journalists escorted by the Israeli military last month.Credit…Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times
Other retired Israeli officials have argued that the Palestinian Authority is too weak to govern Gaza but have agreed that the status quo of leaving areas ungoverned is untenable.
Instead, Israel should fully occupy Gaza first…
2024-03-20 20:11:27
Source from www.nytimes.com