By Matt Underwood Netanyahu’s declaration that Israel intends to capture all of Gaza and subsequently hand it over to “non-PA Arab forces” immediately raises a swarm of questions, doesn’t it? The first one that jumps to mind is: *who* exactly are these “non-PA Arab forces”? The Middle East landscape is complex, and the notion of Arab nations clamoring to take on the Gaza Strip seems, well, unlikely. Palestinians, sadly, don’t exactly have a long list of friends in the region currently willing to take on the role of caretakers.
If you think Israel’s actions in Gaza have been harsh, imagine the potential repercussions when other Arab forces get involved. The IDF, for all its faults, operates with a certain level of scrutiny. The UAE or Saudi Arabia, for example, might not have the same constraints, and their responses to any perceived threats or resistance could be far more aggressive. I’m not entirely sure which “Arab forces” Netanyahu might be referring to. Neither Egypt nor Jordan seems particularly keen on getting involved in Gaza’s future, and Turkey appears focused on Syria.
The United States, on the other hand, might possess significant leverage through incentives like trade deals, financial aid, and investment opportunities. It wouldn’t be a huge trade-off for Arab nations to commit resources in exchange for these potential benefits. Perhaps, a coalition of countries committing, say, 15,000 troops each, could make a real difference. Ideally, an international coalition could help Gaza rebuild its infrastructure and establish a functioning government, until the Palestinian Authority (PA) could eventually assume control. However, the practicalities are daunting. Israel might need to eliminate Hamas leadership completely, then orchestrate a Gaza referendum, and convince either Jordan or Egypt to take control. That’s a long shot.
So, what are Israel’s actual options? They can’t simply do nothing and accept constant terror. The world isn’t going to step in and take responsibility for Hamas. That leaves Israel with the tough choice of removing Hamas itself, and that’s a task that demands careful execution. Removing Hamas completely, will take time, it’s not something that can happen quickly without an unacceptable rise in civilian casualties. The world seems unwilling to take charge, so Israel may have no other realistic option. Hamas’s removal must be the priority. The PA, once Hamas is gone, can then receive assistance from the UN and Arab powers. The PA isn’t strong enough to govern alone, and if Israel were to support them directly, they’d lack popular support because of their association with Israel.
As it stands, no one has stepped forward to replace Hamas. If Hamas remains, the situation will simply continue. Since no one is willing to step up and take responsibility, the “hand over” part seems a bit far-fetched. No other Middle Eastern country seems to want anything to do with the Palestinians, which isn’t necessarily a good thing for them. The best-case scenario here would involve billions in offshore gas development and reconstruction contracts, with non-PA forces administering Gaza. Think Western or Colombian PMCs under the flag of the UAE. Some argue that these are Palestinians who already live in Israel, who would be running the place. Not a bad concept, personally. This also raises a question, why aren’t any of these entities jumping at the chance to administer a wasteland, with Israel footing the bill? It worked out in Ukraine…
This is likely a plan that has been in place for quite a while. It’s tough to say who the “non-PA Arab” forces are going to be. Perhaps they’ll be from the UAE and Saudi Arabia. They are also likely to use mercenaries to avoid sending their own citizens. The Arab states do want this to end, without allowing the Palestinians into their countries or letting Hamas escape. The idea of mercenary forces doesn’t exactly fill you with confidence, does it? Arabs can be rough. The Palestinian Authority, known to arrest and torture Palestinians associated with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, are not receiving much scrutiny. The pro-Palestinian crowd will be silent because it isn’t Jews doing it.
So, is there any real solution? It would be great if it ended the war. In this situation, the Arab League would be able to negotiate with Israel. The result would be the Arab League recognizing Israel’s right to exist, and in return, Israel gives them Gaza. Likely a group from the Abraham Accords might be involved. This group would tie countries together. Is this possible? Yes. However, it may fall on deaf ears as some people like Ben-Gvir would have nightmares about it.
The thing is, Israel can’t give it to the PA because it would lose its coalition. The only other option is ISIS affiliates.