Perhaps, the notion that the established two-state paradigm has no workable alternatives needs to be clarified or even revisited?
Six months have passed since we saw another escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict following a massive Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023. After Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 Israeli civilians and took 253 others as hostages, Israel launched Operation Iron Swords in the Gaza Strip. The operation has proven to be more complex, costly and time-consuming ...
... the terms of a ceasefire in a package with the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners and the provision of humanitarian aid to the civilian population. In parallel, there is a discussion of scenarios for governing this Palestinian enclave after Hamas. Israel and the United States flatly deny there could be any return to the
status quo
, but the question persists: if not Hamas, then who? This is a very controversial issue that sparks heated debate, including in Israel’s interim military cabinet. ...
... nations, tried to construct Palestine issue as a part of global fight against terrorism, and particularly Hamas as a terrorist organization. The latest such construction is that they describe the conflict between Israel and Palestine as that between Israel and Hamas, which intentionally suggests that Israel has been fighting against terrorism.
That is an apparent distortion of the nature of conflict between Israel and Palestine. Despite various aspects of the conflict, the nature of the tension between Israel ...
... HAMAS could claim leadership among Palestinian movements in the post-Abbas period. This would go against the interests of Israel and the Arab states that are trying to undermine Palestinian unity but would certainly weaken the military capabilities of HAMAS. Israel may suspend hostilities in order to continue them at a later stage, which will be determined by the Israeli leadership—perhaps already without the current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
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The situation in the Gaza Strip is currently being ...
Thus far, both parties are interested in war rather than peace
The Israel–Hamas conflict threatens to escalate into a new war that could surpass anything seen during the previous operations in the Gaza Strip in terms of the amount of bloodshed. Tensions have been mounting for the last three months. The new spiral of the conflict ...
... Any future mediator must look to the “Young Guard” within Fatah for a negotiating partner for a two-state solution—and Barghouti is one of those leaders to keep an eye on.
Hamas (Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah)
Nikolay Surkov:
Russia and Israel — Do Not Mess With Me in Middle East
Hamas is another faction within the PA, and the largest faction within the PLC. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Mahmoud Zahar, and several others founded it in 1987, right after the beginning of the first intifada. Its current Chief of the Political Bureau is Ismail ...
... the West Bank and Jerusalem. In fact, the situation may turn into a win – win scenario for Hamas and other Islamic groups. On the one hand, if the Palestinian Authority accepted to hold presidential and legislative elections, it is most likely Hamas will win. On the other hand, if the status quo persists and the Israeli government goes ahead with its current policies, this could increase the popularity of Hamas and weaken the Palestinian Authority even further.
... Jordan Valley.
Plan B is rather vague about the inter-Palestinian relations. On the one hand, Israel seems eager to bring the PNA in and present the fact as a result of the Fattah efforts, so that the Fattah could improve its stand vis-à-vis the Hamas. It definitely serves Israeli interests, because the Hamas may become an effective spoiler and thwart the plan. On the other hand, Israel may as well hope for evolution of the Hamas that seems less radical at the backdrop of terrorist groups deployed in the Sinai and in Gaza....
