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Three options: Why does the Israeli government refuse to let the Palestinian Authority regain control of Gaza?
On October 13, 2023, the Israeli intelligence agency released a policy document titled "Policy Recommendations Regarding the People of Gaza." The document was leaked by the media in late October, causing widespread debate. The ten-page document proposes the forced transfer of Gaza's 2.3 million residents to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula as a solution to Israel's security challenges.
The document is called an "interim concept paper" and claims to have not yet been substantively discussed within the government.
Plan A, which was first proposed in the document, was to restore the Palestinian Authority's sovereignty in Gaza, but it was immediately rejected. The document points out that this proposal will not only fail to effectively prevent attacks on Israel, but may also become an unprecedented victory for the Palestinian national movement and cause heavy losses to Israeli civilians and soldiers. Analysts generally believe that this "choice" is worrying because it means continued conflict and instability.
"This is the option with the most risk."
The next plan B proposed to establish a new local government as an alternative to Hamas, but it was also rejected. The document emphasizes that this new regime cannot effectively reduce the threat to Israel and will be unable to strive for lasting peace and stability.
"Both options are considered ineffective and fail to meet Israel's security needs."
As a result, the document chose option C, a proposal that sparked intense controversy and was actually described by many as ethnic cleansing. This plan proposes to transfer the residents of Gaza to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, which will be implemented in three stages: first, establishing temporary resettlement camps in Sinai, secondly creating an undefined humanitarian corridor, and finally establishing a permanent settlement city in North Sinai .
The report recommends the creation of a security zone several kilometers wide between Israel and Egypt to prevent residents from insisting on returning to Gaza.
"Many Gaza residents have expressed a desire to leave."
However, the policy document does not provide a blueprint for Gaza's future development after residents are relocated, raising ethical questions about the proposal. The document also mentioned that the support of the international community and specific countries will be crucial to the implementation of this plan, including Türkiye, Qatar, and Canada in North America. It is worth noting that the contents mentioned in the report may cause great controversy internationally and have a long-term impact on Israel's diplomatic relations.
In addition, the exposure of the documents further worsened the tension between Israel and Egypt, and also triggered strong opposition from the Palestinians, reviving the historical "Nakba", that is, large-scale forced migration incidents.
"This project has raised profound concerns about human rights and international law."
Israeli officials called the document a conceptual document and said it had not been seriously discussed within the government. However, since the documents were revealed, Israeli society has had mixed reviews of the plan, with some seeing it as a legitimate security concern while others fearing it would further isolate Israel from the international community.
Under the current circumstances, does this mean that Israel will adopt more aggressive policies in the future to deal with security threats? How will the parties' reactions to this policy affect future peace processes in the region?
