Victory over Hamas includes four military components including damage to the entire chain of command, destruction of its weapons production and supply facilities, dismantling of its combat frameworks and killing or capturing most of its terrorists.
Read more:
The first three of these components have already been largely, though not absolutely, achieved. The fourth component is extremely difficult to achieve because several thousands of terrorists are embedded within a civilian population of over two million civilians living in extremely dense conditions.
Reaching the last of the armed men is a goal that would require several years. This is what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu means when he declares to the goal of “total victory.” Thus, it is not victory which he aims for, but a war that would be drawn out over years. The political motivation for such a drawn-out war is well-known.
However, it is possible to achieve victory over Hamas, if a fifth condition would be met, which is political rather than military in nature. This condition is the severing of Hamas from its popular base and the complete removal of its role as representative of the Palestinian people.
This can be accomplished through the creation of a credible alternative to Hamas, both regarding the administration of Gaza, and as an accepted representative of the Palestinian people.
Organizations are defeated when their strategic goals fail. Over the years, Hamas has aimed to take over the PLO, as the sole representative of the Palestinians in the region and globally. The collapse of the Palestinian Authority and the igniting of terrorism on the West Bank were necessary interim objectives towards this ultimate goal.
Hamas took over control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 through a violent and brutal coup and has since attempted to complete this process by taking over the West Bank as well. The destruction that has been caused in Gaza and the suffering of its residents following the massacre of Israelis on October 7th have clearly shown where “resistance” - a laundered term for Hamas’ brutal aggression, leads, . Hamas has brought national calamity rather than national liberation to those under its control.
Thus, now is the perfect timing for a sane alternative to Hamas to assume control of Gaza, alongside Hamas’ removal from the regional equation and from any negotiating table for future arrangements.
President Biden has requested that this moment of opportunity be taken advantage of. He has recruited the two Gulf states who have the capabilities to rehabilitate the Gaza Strip: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, toward a comprehensive diplomatic process which includes them taking upon themselves the massive burden of rebuilding the Gaza Strip and caring for its residents. This, alongside normalization with Saudi Arabia, and genuine advancement towards a two-state solution.
Biden is interested in a cooperative Arab body administering the Gaza Strip, which would include the states invested in rehabilitation as well as the Palestinian Authority. This body will negate Hamas the status that it still holds onto today, even following the severe military blow it has suffered.
Hamas would not be defeated as long as it remains the exclusive authority for the residents of Gaza. Netanyahu’s continued blunt and decisive resistance to the Biden plan is a continuation of his policy of strengthening Hamas, the very policy that brought upon Israel the October 7th disaster, for which he has yet to pay the price.
If Netanyahu rejects the American president’s proposal, who, according to his approach, would administer civilian life in the Gaza Strip? Israel does not have the resources to take on responsibility for 2.2 million residents. Hamas would in fact be the body that would continue to serve as the sovereign. The slogan of “total victory” is a outright lie.
There is no victory without a different body, rather than Hamas, representing the Palestinians. This body must be encouraged - which is what occurred under various Netanyahu governments, rather than destroyed. The diplomatic solution that the United States is promoting is the real victory over Hamas, which would complete the military victory, currently being accomplished through great sacrifice of our troops.
Ephraim Sneh is a retired IDF General, who served as a minister and deputy defense minister in Israeli governments and is currently a member of the board of Commanders for Israel’s Security.