As everyone is focused on Israel's current bombardment of Hamas in Gaza after terrorists infiltrated Israel on Saturday and murdered hundreds of soldiers and civilians and taking many captives, the question is what happens when this is all over?
Gaza is a narrow strip of land just 365 square kilometers (140 square miles) hemmed in between Israel to the east and north, the Mediterranean Sea to the west and Egypt to the south. Over two million Palestinians live in this enclave, considered one of the most crowded places on Earth.
If Israel retakes Gaza in a massive land incursion meant to wipe out Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), it means that the military will oversee an additional two million Palestinians - beyond what it controls in the West Bank. This is a circumstance both the Palestinians and Israelis do not want but it appears unavoidable at the rate events are taking place.
Egypt will continue to maintain a closed border, allowing in and out only a small number of Palestinians and Israel will likely seal off all entry and exit points on the Gaza border. The Palestinians will be left with a destroyed Gaza and no way to earn a living.
Will Israel take upon itself what is sure to be a massive human tragedy and incredible nightmare scenario for all parties involved? Granted, Hamas was no picnic and while the terror group did operate schools and clinics, it also brutally oppressed the population, throwing gay men off rooftops and imprisoning and killing anyone it suspected of acting as a collaborator with Israel.
The Palestinian population has suffered tremendously in the last few decades and after Egypt decided to wipe its hands clean from dealing with the Gaza Strip and abandoning the Palestinians there to the Israelis, there has been little to no hope for the civilians caught in this never-ending political game.
Looking ahead, if Hamas and PIJ are in fact annihilated as the Israeli army has promised to do, the Palestinians will need to reassess whom they want as their leadership and what their goals and objectives will be. Assuming they will be less militant in ideology than the terrorist groups which until now have ruled Gaza since 2006 when Hamas took over from the Palestinian Authority, they will still demand Israel recognize a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israel, for its part, will also need to reassess the situation the day after and decide what it is going to do if there is no longer a terror threat from Gaza.
With a new reality in this narrow strip of land, new opportunities could arise and both Israelis and Palestinians can benefit from a new relationship that sees even more peaceful Palestinian civilians entering Israel for work. With the threat of Hamas and PIJ no longer existing, Israel could offer more gestures, providing an unprecedented level of humanitarian aid to reach Palestinian civilians and finally allowing in cement and building materials to rebuild Gaza and allow Palestinians to live normal lives.
While until now Israel was reticent to allow the international community to offer too much aid to the Palestinians out of fear the terrorist organizations would steal it for themselves, this reality could change completely.
In summary, the elimination of two major terror organizations in the Middle East can only change the region for the better. Palestinian citizens have suffered long enough and it is time for a new Middle East - one that sees peace and prosperity for everyone in the region.
