Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published an article in the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal today (Monday), in which he laid out Israel's conditions for the day after the current war, the demilitarization of the Strip, the destruction of Hamas and the de-radicalization of the Palestinian Arab population.
Among other things, Netanyahu wrote that Israel must ensure that Gaza will not again be used as a base for offensive action against it as it was used in the surprise attack on Simchat Torah in which 1,200 people were massacred and 240 taken hostage, and that it is unrealistic to expect this from the Palestinian Authority since the PA pays salaries to terrorists and engages in constant incitement to violence against the Jewish people.
"Among other things, this will require establishing a temporary security zone on the perimeter of Gaza and an inspection mechanism on the border between Gaza and Egypt that meets Israel’s security needs and prevents smuggling of weapons into the territory," Netanyahu said.
He further stated that combating extremism in Gaza will require courageous leadership of the kind not seen in the PA, noting that "Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas can’t even bring himself to condemn the Oct. 7 atrocities."
Netanyahu referred to the Abraham Accords, the peace deals Israel signed with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan in 2020, and the transformations of Germany and Japan after World War Two, as successful examples of how nations and populations have been deradicalized as Gaza must be.
"Once Hamas is destroyed, Gaza is demilitarized and Palestinian society begins a deradicalization process, Gaza can be rebuilt and the prospects of a broader peace in the Middle East will become a reality," Netanyahu concluded.
Israel has been under international pressure since it began its retaliation for the October 7 massacre to end the war and agree to a ceasefire that would leave Hamas in power in Gaza and free to commit similar massacres in the future, as its leaders have vowed to do multiple times. Israel has also faced pressure from Western leaders to allow the Palestinian Authority to take Hamas' place in ruling Gaza, despite the PA's antisemitism, support for terrorism, refusal to condemn the atrocities of October 7, and antisemitic incitement.