Tommy Patrio Sorongan, CNBC Indonesia
Tuesday, 11/21/2023 14:45 WIB
Photo: Israeli soldiers during the Israeli army’s ground operation against the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, Monday (13/11/2023). (Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS)
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Israel’s attacks on Gaza continue. Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that this attack would stop if the Gaza militia group, Hamas, was destroyed.
However, this still raises big questions regarding what will happen if Israel actually wins this war. The reason is, there is no idea from Tel Aviv regarding what will happen to Gaza if Hamas disappears.
The United States and Arab states in the post-war administration in Gaza have succeeded in gaining support for securing an independent Palestine, according to two US officials and four regional officials and four diplomats familiar with the discussions. This has raised concerns that the Israeli military may be mired in a prolonged security operation.
As Israel tightens its control over Northern Gaza, some officials in Washington and Arab countries worry that Israel is ignoring the lessons of the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan when quick military victories were followed by years of violent militancy.
“If the Hamas government in Gaza is overthrown, its infrastructure destroyed and its economy destroyed, the radicalization of an angry population could trigger an uprising targeting Israeli forces in the territory’s narrow streets,” diplomats and officials were quoted as saying ReutersMonday (20/11/2023).
Israel, the US and many Arab countries agreed that Hamas must be ousted after it launched cross-border attacks on October 7 that killed around 1,200 people and took around 240 hostages. But there is no consensus yet on what should replace it.
Palestinian Authority
Arab countries and Western allies say that the Palestinian Authority (PA), which partly rules the West Bank, is the right candidate to play a bigger role in Gaza, which is home to some 2.3 million people.
But the credibility of the PA, led by 87-year-old President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah Party, has been damaged by the loss of control of Gaza to Hamas in the 2007 conflict. It has also faced accusations of widespread corruption and incompetence.
Netanyahu said at the weekend that the PA in its current form should not take over Gaza. He said the Israeli military was the only force capable of eliminating Hamas and ensuring that terrorism did not re-emerge.
After Netanyahu’s comments, Israeli officials insisted that Israel had no intention of occupying the Gaza Strip.
Mohammed Dahlan, who was the PA’s security chief for Gaza until they lost control of the strip, has been proposed as the future leader of the post-war government there. He said that Israel was wrong to believe that it would tighten its control over Gaza.
“Israel is an occupying power and the Palestinian people will face it as an occupying power,” Dahlan said at his office in Abu Dhabi, where he now lives.
“No Hamas leader or fighter will surrender. They will blow themselves up but they will not surrender.”
“I have not seen any vision from Israel, America or the international community,” Dahlan said while calling on Israel to stop the war and start serious talks about a two-state solution.
US President Joe Biden warned Netanyahu on Wednesday that occupying Gaza would be a ‘big mistake’. So far, the US and its allies have not seen a clear roadmap from Israel regarding its exit strategy from Gaza other than the stated goal of eradicating Hamas. US officials urged Israel to achieve realistic goals and plan how to achieve them.
Biden’s warning
The Israeli government did not respond to requests for comment regarding post-war plans in Gaza. Israel’s operation in the enclave, launched in retaliation for the Oct. 7 attack, has so far killed at least 13,000 people, including at least 5,500 children, according to the Hamas-run government in Gaza.
Despite insisting on Israel’s right to self-defense, some US officials worry that the high civilian casualties could radicalize more Palestinians, encouraging new fighters to join Hamas or any future militant groups that may emerge to replace it.
More than a dozen Gazans interviewed by Reuters said the Israeli offensive gave birth to a new generation of militants. Abu Mohammad (37), a civil servant from Jabalia refugee camp, said he would rather die than face Israeli occupation.
“I am not Hamas but in the days of war, we are all one nation, and if they finish off the fighters, we will take up arms and fight,” he told Reuters, declining to give his full name for fear of reprisals.
“Israel may occupy Gaza, but they will never feel safe, not for a single day.”
Watch the video below:
Moments of Hamas Slaughtering Israeli Soldiers in Beit Hanoun Gaza
(luc/luc)
2023-11-21 07:45:00
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