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October 23, 2023
Israel aims to defeat Hamas, then leave Gaza. Who would fill vacuum?

“I understand the desire to destroy the Hamas apparatus, but I just don’t think it’s doable,” says Benjamin Friedman, policy director at Defense Priorities, a Washington think tank promoting a realist foreign policy. “If you envision any degree of Palestinian self-rule, then I think some version of Hamas 2.0 remains in power,” he adds, “and Gaza goes back to what it was, but with fewer people and buildings.”
It’s worth considering the case of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Mr. Friedman says, noting they were deposed by a superior military power – only to return and take back control of the country.
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