During the Iron Sword War, about 90 days into the fighting, there are those who choose to talk about the question of "the day after" and there are those who choose not to hold a dialogue on the subject.
Yaron Blum, former POW/MIA coordinator, hosts Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad and Maj. Gen. (res.) Kamil Abu Rukun on the "Highly Classified" podcast. The two, senior Defense Ministry officials with a broad background in the defense establishment, answer the question: "When is the best time to talk about the issue of 'the day after the war'?" The full episode will premiere today (Thursday).
"'The day after' is now," declares Gilad. While Israel hopes for the collapse of the Hamas regime, the fighting raises questions about what will happen next, starting with the entry of the Palestinian Authority, through the establishment of an alternative civilian government and the establishment of an interim regional regime – either way, a clear strategy is needed for the day after the fighting.
"There is no such thing as just a truly military victory," Gilad says. "I trust the IDF to carry out both goals, the first is a severe blow to the Hamas regime and the second is the return of the abductees and abductees, on whom an hourglass operates. A clock with a strange nature on it, when the sand runs out there is no clock. If they don't come back, it's a grave abandonment, for a lifetime."
Act before going into a tailspin
Fearing a sanitary catastrophe in destroyed Gaza and its satellite cities, the question of who will rule Gaza afterward, and rehabilitate the Gaza Strip, also worries Israel's political and military leadership. "It better not be us," Abu Rukun explains. "And if we don't talk or advance and there is no solution, the military establishment will take responsibility and then we will enter a tailspin in the Gaza Strip that will lead the State of Israel into the abyss."
Gaza refugee camp, photo: AP
IDF bombings in Gaza, photo: Arab networks
According to him, Israel must not ignore the important question. "We need to mark a long-term Archimedean point," he states. "If it's the PA, we all understand that it can't and doesn't have capabilities, so we have to build capabilities for it."
In the chapter, the two explain how it would be appropriate to build processes that would promote the organizational framework of an Arab state that would cooperate with both the government and the Gaza street. In their view, any attempt to postpone the discourse on the challenges in the Gaza Strip will only lead to greater destruction in the future.
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