The Illusion of Choice in Gaza
Netanyahu reportedly informed US envoy Amos Hochstein that the PA is unsuitable for governing Gaza post-conflict, citing its alleged inability to suppress Hamas. This statement, made as the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza deepens, isn't an isolated policy decision but a strategic recurrence. FIRST INSTANCE: The Legacy of No Partner The notion of a 'no partner for peace' has been a consistent
refrain from various Israeli governments, notably amplified by Netanyahu. While Yitzhak Rabin famously negotiated with the PLO, bringing about the Oslo Accords in the early 1990s, hardline elements quickly worked to undermine their implementation. The assassination of Rabin in 1995 deeply impacted the peace process, allowing those who opposed Palestinian self-determination to gain substantial
ground. Later, Ariel Sharon frequently dismissed Palestinian leadership as illegitimate, culminating in his policy of 'disengagement' from Gaza in 2005, which he argued was done to avoid direct engagement with the Palestinian Authority, implicitly suggesting a lack of a viable partner even then. REPETITIONS: Engineering the 'Unfit' Partner The playbook involves actively weakening Palestinian
political structures while simultaneously declaring them 'unfit' to govern. For example, following Hamas's victory in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, the international community, under US and Israeli pressure, largely isolated the democratically elected government, leading to factionalism and crippling the PA's ability to govern effectively. This created the very conditions cited today