Member of the Israeli War Command Council Gadi Eisenkot has put forward a plan for the next day after the Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip, to be an alternative to the strategy proposed last month by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which was met with wide rejection by the Palestinians, the United States, and the international community.
Eisenkot’s plan came in parallel with attempts by the right-wing Israeli government to implement a policy aimed at expanding the occupation and settlements, and imposing a new fait accompli on Gaza that hinders a political solution to the conflict.
Although details of the Eisenkot plan fall within the framework of internal Israeli negotiations about the fate of the Palestinians, they present temporary solutions aimed at stopping the deterioration taking place in the Palestinian areas due to the actions of the government and settlers.
However, his proposals exclude Palestinian ambitions to end the occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state. He proposes postponing the implementation of the permanent solution for five years, during which Israel will test the Palestinian leadership’s commitment to what he called “the fight against terrorism and incitement against Israel.” The Israeli security services will be in control of security from the sea to the river, while the process of destroying Hamas’ military capabilities will continue.
The Eisenkot document was prepared with the participation of a senior strategic security team from the Mind Israel Institute, headed by Amos Yadlin, former head of the Military Intelligence Division.
The plan proposed near term goals, which include seeking to dismantle Hamas, by maintaining operations to undermine the group’s military capabilities and its ability to govern, for the purpose of creating pressure that will lead to concluding a deal for the release of the kidnapped and preventing the threat to Israel from the Gaza Strip in the long term.
Moreover, Eisenkot called for forging an American-Israeli-Arab alliance and transferring the management of civilian affairs in the Gaza Strip to a local Palestinian component, with international and regional monitoring in coordination with Israel.
Other short-term objectives include ending the confrontation with Hezbollah in Lebanon in a way that ensures the safe return of evacuated citizens, strengthening relations with countries seeking peace, advancing ties with Saudi Arabia and other Arab and Islamic countries and preparing to confront all threats coming from Iran, with a focus on its nuclear program and activity in the region.
In the medium term, Eisenkot’s plan seeks to maintain Israel’s freedom of operation and security responsibilities in the Gaza Strip to prevent the growth of a terrorist base.
It also calls for complete disarmament in the Gaza Strip, which is implemented by Israel by reducing the enemy's capabilities, adhering to its growing security responsibility, and building a local disarmament system under the supervision of the United States. A military force is established for the sole purpose of ensuring the rule of law.
According to the proposed plan, the civil-economic affairs of the people of Gaza are managed by a technocratic Palestinian entity, subject to the supervision of a group of the Five Arab Countries, the United States, and the international community.
Other medium-term goals include ending UNRWA’s mission and gradually transferring its responsibility for schools to the entity that manages the affairs of the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, in parallel with handing over the agency's services to other international bodies.
In the long term, the plan proposes settlement between Israel and the Palestinians through direct negotiations between the two parties, which will be implemented after five years, during which the Palestinians’ ability to adhere to comprehensive reforms, disarmament, and rebuilding the Gaza Strip will be tested, based on international and regional monitoring.
No Israeli commitment will be given in the next five years to establish a Palestinian state, as something like this will be understood as a gift to Hamas, according to Eisenkot.
