The objective of the war was defined by the political echelon as "toppling Hamas." Such a vague definition must not suffice. We must adopt clear and measurable definitions that clarify the meaning of the "collapse," otherwise we will find ourselves in another aggressive "round" accompanied by an attempt to burn the Israeli consciousness, not the Gaza one, as if it were a crushing Israeli victory.
Mahmoud Abbas meets with Erdogan and a Hamas delegation // Photo: Arab networks
The "collapse of Hamas" has a clear and specific meaning. Israel should announce a four-component plan that will make it clear to our enemies and friends that we are meeting the goal we set for ourselves on October 8 – strategic change in the region:
1. Hamas' military-terrorist wing numbers about 30,2023 people. Those who remain alive at the end of the fighting will leave Gaza permanently, in the manner of the PLO leaving Lebanon. This should be Israel's clear and declared position from the beginning of the campaign. The faster Hamas's surrender, the more lives they will be able to save. This is also the only deal that has feasibility when it comes to releasing the hostages. When Sinwar realizes that he can leave Gaza "dead or alive," he and his fellow leaders will prefer their lives and will be willing to give the abductees in return. The IDF of 1982 in Gaza is deadlier and more powerful than the IDF of 11 in Beirut. Israel must present this insight to the region. Some <>,<> PLO members left Lebanon after a siege of Beirut for more than a month. Members of Hamas' military-terrorist wing cannot remain in Gaza, even if we have to impose a three-month siege. It is also a necessary condition for the return of the people of Bari and Sderot to their homes. The address in Tunisia will be replaced by Qatar or Turkey.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, photo: AFP
2. The rest of the heavy weapons that will remain in the Gaza Strip after the battles will leave in a convoy of trucks heading to the Sinai desert. There it is possible that "the missiles will rust," in the format of the vision prevalent in the era of conception. For every humanitarian aid truck that enters, there will be a truck loaded with rockets coming out. No more rockets and missiles in Gaza.
Hamas terrorists preparing a missile launcher to fire (archive), photo: Arab networks
3. The Gaza Strip will be declared a demilitarized zone, where rocket weapons will be prohibited. The term "demilitarization" is the only international terminology that makes it possible to act aggressively under it in order to maintain peace and security. The demilitarization of Gaza from rockets and missiles will remove the Israeli population from the map of war in which it has been for more than a decade. From that date forward, Israel will act disproportionately on any force buildup that violates the demilitarization resolution. No longer a lawnmower that is turned on once every few years, but daily weed-weeding.
IDF attack in the Gaza Strip, photo: AFP
4. Israel must declare in advance that it intends to maintain a security zone inside Gaza in order to ensure the prevention of another ground invasion into Israeli territory. The lesson of October 7 requires Israeli belligerent occupation of buffer zones between the communities and Gaza, within Gaza territory. Or, in the words of the settlers, "keep Gaza away from the border." Israel must announce that it intends to keep these areas under its control for at least a decade, as a deposit to ensure peace. If peace and quiet prevail in the region for a decade, Israel will again consider a unilateral withdrawal to the current border. Keep in mind that Israel withdrew unilaterally from Gaza in 2005, hoping to see Gaza flourish. Instead of grain barns, we got missile barns in Gaza. Instead of Singapore, a violent Iranian Somalia sprang up next to us. After more than a decade of missile barrages on our communities and cities, and 1,400 casualties in a single day, Israel is entitled and even obligated to reconsider its unilateral move to withdraw to the 1949 border – a withdrawal that did not bring sufficient security.
IDF ground operations in the Gaza Strip, photo: IDF Spokesperson
I emphasize that our signed agreement with the Palestinians leaves the determination of the final border line, also in Gaza, to the final stage of peace negotiations between us. Just as Israel has unilaterally withdrawn, it can and should unilaterally change the deployment of its forces and prepare more optimally and more securely along a different border.
And there are also those among us who ponder the historical-philosophical necessity of revenge for judging us on that accursed Shabbat. They were told that seizing territory, even though its sole purpose is to ensure security and prevent violence, is the most appropriate response in Middle Eastern language to those who raped our wives and crushed our babies' skulls near the border. Neither killing innocents nor destroying real estate on a large scale will deter. Our neighbors and enemies will know that whoever attacks us will lose his territory.
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