By Daniel DePetris
Any comprehensive Israeli ground invasion of Gaza will take weeks, if not months, of fighting to complete. But let's say for the sake of argument that Israel accomplishes its military goals. What then? Does Israel have a plan for administering Gaza, an enclave of more than 2 million Palestinians? Or does it simply pack up, go home, blockade it indefinitely and hope that a semi-decent Palestinian replacement to Hamas emerges over time? This doesn't seem like a viable strategy.
Alternatively, Israel could try to fill the governance void. Transferring control over Gaza's affairs to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is technically an option, but the PA can barely administer the parts of the West Bank it now controls and has a severe legitimacy crisis in the eyes of the Palestinian population. According to the most recent survey from the Palestinian Center for Survey Research, 80 percent of Palestinians would like to see Abbas resign and half say the PA should dissolve. Considering the PA hasn't been in Gaza since 2007, it's hard to see the institution performing up to standards even if it wanted to.
This piece was originally published in Newsweek on October 11, 2023. Read more HERE.