fter a year of bloodshed, destruction, and unimaginable suffering in the Gaza Strip, the political future of the Palestinian territory remains unclear. From the perspective of most parties to the war — including members of the Israeli government and army — the re-establishment of direct military rule over Gaza is not a desirable or viable option. But the alternatives have been just as problematic.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pseudo-fascist government still appears to be fixated on eliminating Hamas and considering imposing some form of governance structure through a network of tribal or village leagues — an idea that Israel tried but failed in the 1980s. Washington and some Arab states, meanwhile, have floated various ideas to bring Arab or international peacekeeping forces into Gaza to be responsible for security, humanitarian aid, and reconstruction. ….more