All May Not Be Lost

The MSNBC host makes a couple of good points in the end but has no solution to the carnage in Gaza wrought by Hamas.  Failure to make a constructive recommendation is, however, extremely common.

Chris Hayes, with the most eloquent rebuttal to the Israel Defense Forces indiscriminate killing of civilians — including journalists, hostages and innocent Palestinian men, women and children — I have heard by any cable news host.pic.twitter.com/Qnjz1DR9iE

— Bill Madden (@maddenifico) December 20, 2023

Hayes maintains

And an atrocity like October 7th does not, cannot justify whatever comes after it, whatever the response. There is no terrorist attack, no matter how horrific, and truly October 7 was horrific, that can wash clean what we are seeing in Gaza and what we as Americans and our government are abetting. It must end, we must stop it.

He concedes "now, I will be the first to confess- the first to confess- I have no idea what to do about Hamas or about what comes next."  However, the Washington Post's David Ignatius has an idea about what might come next, perhaps the only viable solution.

One problem that hasn’t been solved — indeed, it hasn’t even been discussed in detail — is the composition of the security force that would maintain order in Gaza once Israeli troops begin to pull back. Israeli commandos might stage raids back into the center of Gaza when they receive intelligence about high-value targets. But that wouldn’t protect Palestinian civilians from gangs and looters who are already filling the security vacuum.

The security force, initially, might be composed primarily of Palestinians who aren’t affiliated with Hamas and are willing to cooperate with the Israeli troops still ringing the border. Ideally, this policing force would be bolstered by foreign troops, operating under a U.N. mandate. In the chaos of postwar Gaza, there will be a need for disciplined, experienced troops whose rules of engagement allow them to use military power if needed.

Israel’s initial insistence that it would eliminate Hamas probably is at an inflection point, too. After more than 70 days of hard fighting, Israel estimates that it has killed about 8,500 Hamas fighters. That’s out of an initial force the CIA estimated at 20,000 to 25,000. Whatever the precise numbers, a battered Hamas will likely survive, perhaps in hiding.

If there is eventually to be a Palestinian state, influential Arab countries in the region must step up and assume some responsibility for a just outcome. Ignatius continues

Over the longer term, when “the day after” finally arrives, U.S. and Israeli officials are both hoping that Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, can play a key role — providing money, leadership and legitimacy for the Gaza reconstruction effort.

Both countries have reasons to help midwife a reborn Gaza: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, often known as MBS, has been seeking an opportunity to show visionary leadership in the Arab world. Normalizing relations with Israel and, at the same time, championing a well-governed Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank would be visionary, indeed. One official hopes MBS will add Gaza to his Vision 2030 agenda.

The UAE would bring special skills to the table, as well. As the earliest Arab country to embrace the Abraham Accords, it’s trusted by Israelis. UAE companies such as Emaar have experience managing vast the construction projects that Gaza will require. And the UAE for more than 10 years has sheltered Muhammad Dahlan, a Palestinian wheeler-dealer who was the dominant political power in Gaza until the PA was displaced by Hamas in 2006.

Or powerful nations such as the USA can throw up their hands and leave the region to sadistic, fundamentalist Islamic terrorists such as Islamic Jihad or Hamas. Israel probably eventually would be destroyed but strife in the region would continue with Palestinian Arabs forever without a homeland.

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