How Will Gaza Be Rebuilt?

March 20, 2024

At some point, the conflict in Gaza will reach its conclusion.

The leaders of Hamas envision that their triumph will be signified by hoisting their emblems amongst the debris, portraying themselves as the epitome of defiance despite the calamity they inflicted on October 7.

The defense strategists of Israel prepare for a post-conflict scenario. Moreover, one where Gaza becomes segmented into areas overseen by local families familiar to Israeli intelligence. Thus, allowing the Israeli forces to conduct ongoing anti-terror operations, increase border control near Egypt, and work towards de-radicalizing the populace.

The aspiration of President Biden is for the Palestinian Authority to reclaim administration over the Gaza region, which it lost to Hamas in 2007, with the end goal of establishing a Palestinian state that includes both Gaza and the West Bank.

However, these outcomes likely will never materialize.

Israel will take all measures to prevent the leadership of Hamas from surviving the conflict. Furthermore, any attempt by the group to celebrate their endurance would likely become met with a decisive and lethal response.

The prospect of a prolonged Israeli military presence in Gaza could ignite further resistance. In addition, drain resources, and likely untenable in the long run. Both politically and diplomatically.

The Palestinian Authority’s ability to govern Gaza stands compromised by its fragility. Additionally, revitalizing it would necessitate not just the removal of its aging president, Mahmoud Abbas, but also the eradication of pervasive corruption, which has resisted all previous reform attempts.

The concept of a Palestinian state encompassing Gaza and the West Bank is theoretically attractive!

However, there are Israeli concerns that it could devolve into a larger-scale version of the conditions currently seen in Gaza. Consequently, it is improbable that any foreseeable Israeli administration would sanction its establishment.

An alternative proposal might be to establish an Arab stewardship over Palestine. The long-term goal would be to transform Gaza into a flourishing hub akin to Dubai on the Mediterranean, which could eventually lead to the emergence of a Palestinian state modeled on the principles of the United Arab Emirates — forward-looking, federation-based, resistant to extremism, globally engaged, and committed to enduring peace.

I previously introduced a variant of this concept, envisaging the transformation of Gaza from a battleground into a domain of mutual interests among Israel and progressive Arab nations. Moreover, a detailed report by the Vandenberg Coalition and the Jewish Institute for National Security for America presents the argument for an International Trust for Gaza Relief and Reconstruction as a pragmatic route towards a two-state solution.

The imperative is to convince moderate Arab nations that they hold the highest stakes in securing a favorable outcome for Gaza. This is due, firstly, to Gaza under Hamas serving as another base for Iranian-supported militancy within the Arab sphere, and secondly, to the ongoing Gaza crisis acting as a rallying point for extremist ideologies within their own populations.

Moreover, an unaddressed crisis in Gaza could drive Israel to a more hardline stance, likely shift it further right, and indefinitely postpone the possibility of a Palestinian state. It could also splinter the Arab world, empower Iran, and derail the progress that the most visionary Arab leaders have taken.

It is essential that these leaders recognize that the responsibility for a resolution in Gaza does not rest solely with Israel or the United States.

The silver lining is that these leaders possess not only significant stakes but also the means to effect change. They have a degree of authenticity with the Gazan people that outsiders lack. Furthermore, which has become lost by Palestinian factions. They also hold political capital with Israel, the U.S., and the EU.

These leaders have the financial, diplomatic, intelligence, and military means for a sustained relief and reconstruction initiative. However, assuming substantial suppor by the West. No U.S. administration will likely commit to another nation-building mission in the Middle East, especially if it involves American troops. Nonetheless, the West can contribute to a strategy that benefits Israel, counteracts Iran, curtails Islamist factions, and presents Palestinians with a tangible path toward peace, prosperity, and autonomy.

This will require trust-building steps, firm commitments, and set timelines, not just for Gaza’s disarmament and rebuilding, but also for Israel to play its part. This starts with a cessation of new settlement construction.

In doing so, Israel would be honoring the fundamental aim of Zionism:

Self-determination for Jews!

Not dominion over others, nor submission to foreign rule. This principle is something the present Israeli government seems to dismiss. As a result, exemplifying why the tenure of Benjamin Netanyahu must end as soon as possible!

Numerous parties may oppose an Arab Mandate for Palestine. Either, those desiring an immediate Palestinian state, those rejecting its formation altogether. And those hoping to revert to the unsuccessful peace process frameworks of the past. However, such a mandate appears to be the only viable path forward.