Hypothetical, but Plausible: How to End the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict for Good, Right Now
Israel has a pattern of leveraging wars for annexation, but what if it seized on the Gaza cease-fire as a gateway to a comprehensive vision for ending the conflict by political agreement? And what if the Palestinians and world powers joined? Here's one scenario
Dahlia Scheindlin, Haaretz, January 23, 2025
If Israel maintains its current path, it will soon complete the de facto annexation of the West Bank. The cease-fire arrangement in Gaza will collapse after the first stage, the hostages will die, fighting resumes and Israel establishes a military government to occupy Gaza, with settlements to follow. The Palestinian national movement is smashed, Israel becomes a theocratic imperial actor ruling through subjugation of noncitizens mounting permanent insurgency, while suppressing residual dissent and opposition among its citizens forever.
This option should no longer sound shocking – and certainly not to readers of this column. Until recently, no global force proved willing or capable of halting this process as it has taken shape during the war. And over decades, Israel has a well-established pattern of leveraging wars, even defensive wars, to conquer, hold, historicize and annex territory. This pattern is so successful, it has become a paradigm for Israeli policy.
Haaretz
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