What Israel Must Do

washington institute / by Dennis Ross

Also published in Foreign Affairs

The long-suffering residents of Gaza deserve a better future, but getting there will require the international community to demilitarize Gaza after the war and disarm whatever is left of Hamas.

It is possible that at high cost, Israel might succeed in rooting out the Hamas leadership, decapitating it, and destroying much of its military infrastructure. Should it accomplish those tasks, Israel will not want to stay in Gaza, and will look to turn over governance of the territory to a transitional authority under an international umbrella. Who would form such an authority? What role would the UN play? Is there some combination of regional and non-regional actors who could assume responsibilities? These are difficult questions. The Palestinian Authority will not want it to seem that it returned to the strip on the back of Israeli tanks, but if asked by the UN to play a role it might do so—and would also seek some Arab cover. Arab governments could provide that cover, and contribute to international pressure to help manage that transition, with Egypt’s proximity making it a natural partner along with some credible European governments that have experience in reconstruction and enforcement efforts…

Read the full article on the Foreign Affairs website.