Netanyahu Releases Plans for Post-War Gaza

Facts

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday presented a plan regarding how Israel would manage Gaza after the war to his security Cabinet for approval. The plan posits that Israel would indefinitely control Gaza's security and civilian affairs.¹
• In addition to the previously stated goals of destroying Hamas, freeing the hostages, and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, Israel would 'maintain its operational freedom of action in the entire Gaza Strip' and establish a 'buffer zone' inside the territory.²
• Netanyahu's stated goals regarding Gaza's future have caused discord with the US and its regional allies. On Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the US, though in support of demilitarizing the strip, opposes the possibilities of Israel reoccupying Gaza or shrinking the territory's size.³
• US officials have insisted that a 'revitalized' Palestinian Authority (PA), which partially runs the West Bank and was not mentioned in Netanyahu's plan, should take over Gaza's governance after the war. Netanyahu's plan also posited that Israel would cooperate with Egypt, though no official agreements have been announced.⁴
• Hostage deal talks in Paris reportedly made some progress on Friday, with an Egyptian official saying that Hamas would accept a temporary truce, lower the number of Palestinian prisoners it wants to be released, and drop its demand for an Israeli withdrawal. The official indicated that around 3K Palestinian prisoners would be exchanged for 50 — around half — of the Israeli hostages.⁵
• Gaza's health ministry reports that the conflict has killed over 29K people in the Gaza Strip, the majority of whom were women and children. The war has also created a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation. The official Israeli death toll on Oct. 7 stands at around 1.2K people (and there are still over 100 hostages being held in the Gaza Strip).⁶

Sources: ¹Associated Press (a), ²CNBC, ³Barron's, ⁴Al Jazeera, ⁵NPR Online News and ⁶Associated Press (b).

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Vox. Israelis and Palestinians must make peace via a two-state solution. Though it may seem that it has never been as difficult to make peace, moderates must rise above the populist extremism of Hamas and the Israeli political right so the land can be shared. Both Israeli and Palestinian national aspirations are valid projects that deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. The two-state solution may not be the most equitable or desirable for either side, but it's the most achievable outcome.
• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by The Jerusalem Post. Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel was the final nail in the coffin for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the enclave has essentially existed as a terrorist-run proto-state controlled by Hamas. Given the Palestinian Authority's inefficacy, Israel has no partners for peace, and the last 20 years in Gaza prove this. A violent, terrorist-run Palestinian state would be an existential threat to Israel's security.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Mother Jones. Israel killed the two-state solution. There can't be a Palestinian state after nearly 75 years of Israeli policies effectively atomizing and dividing the Palestinian political scene and physical landscape via a system of apartheid and occupation. The only solution is to accept reality — Israel is an apartheid state that practices sovereignty over the region, and this apartheid must be dismantled so that all people residing in the land can live free as equals.

Predictions