‘Commanders for Israel’s Security’ welcomes the Arab League plan for rehabilitating and managing the Gaza Strip. We recommend that Israel enter into discussions with all relevant parties while demanding several crucial clarifications regarding security arrangements.
A Good Start
The plan represents a substantial and serious initiative. Adopted by the 22 Arab League members, some of whom will participate in its implementation, and the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation, it has been lauded by many European countries, China and others. The Trump administration, determined to end the war and accelerate the return the remaining 59 hostages, has changed its initial negative stance, now defining it as a first appropriate step and inviting further discussion of its contents.
A Bad Alternative
In contrast, the Israeli government presents a military option. Without defining the “day after” or the characteristics of “Hamas’ defeat,” this entails a resumption of fighting without a defined goal or an exit strategy, inevitably leading to a prolonged, bloody occupation. That option seems particularly reckless at a time when the IDF is stretched thinly across several fronts, and reserve forces are worn down by the ongoing burden. To make things worse, the proposed “draft-dodging” law, which tears society apart, and the delusional goals of restoring Jewish settlements in the Strip while transferring Palestinians out of it, accentuate the irresponsible nature of our government’s approach.
Hostages First
Critically, approximately 70% of the Israeli public prioritizes hostages release over all else, and supports completing the deal as negotiated and agreed to, ending the fighting and releasing Palestinian murderers included.
Once Israel’s security requirements (below) are met, the Arab initiative might enable the fulfilment of Israel’s legitimate objectives, as supported by the majority, while minimizing and carefully managing risks.
Most importantly, a commitment to the initiative and launching its implementation would allow for the rapid release of all hostages and proper burial for those murdered in captivity.
Critical Improvements Required: Security
The two Arab League documents* – the twenty-two clause meeting’s final communique and the over one-hundred page Egyptian Gaza Strip rehabilitation plan which it embraced – propose a framework for ending the war and Hamas’ rule. It suggests replacing Hamas with an Arab-Palestinian body to manage and rehabilitate the Strip, and to establish a security mechanism, all with the support of the broader international community.
In the security realm, the plan requires significant clarifications in three aspects: the plan only implies the intention to prevent any Hamas involvement in future management; it only hints at disarming Hamas; it fails to lay out security arrangements that prevent Hamas’ resurgence.
For each of these, Israel should coordinate with the US administration, and discuss with the lead Arab partners, obtaining explicit clarifications as follows:
- Make explicit that Hamas will have no involvement in establishing and operating the body managing the Strip.
- Make explicit the commitment to disarm Hamas, apply it to all Gaza terror organizations, and present an implementation plan.
- Make public and firm the willingness, secretly conveyed by Arab states [except the UAE, which made it public], to introduce forces into the Strip for any required period until the Palestinian Authority undergoes reforms, its PASF units are augmented by new recruits, and it is able to gradually assume responsibility for the Strip.
Additionally, Israel must clarify the obvious:
First, all third-party Gaza efforts, above all those related to security, shall be fully coordinated with Israel.
Second, Israel retains the right to self-defense and response whenever it identifies that the Strip management mechanism struggles or refuses to address a threat to its security in an effective, decisive, and timely manner.
Once these terms are incorporated, Israel should endorse the plan, remove its opposition to the Palestinian Authority’s participation therein, and initiate a dialogue with the US, leading Arab states, and other relevant parties about implementation.
*Note: The Arab League documents include a variety of topics unrelated to the Gaza issue and irrelevant here.
