Q&A: The Concept Collapsed — But Was There Ever an Alternative?
The Concept Collapsed — But Was There Ever an Alternative?
Question
Have a good week!
1. Throughout history, it seems that supposedly every option was tried: they tried giving them territory, and even left them a flourishing area, and Hamas grew in Gaza. They tried reaching agreements that met almost all of their demands (Barak and others), and it turned out there was no one to talk to. They gave Gaza to the Palestinian Authority, and it turned out that their culture did not allow this.
If so, did Bibi really have any other option besides at least not allowing Gaza to collapse economically, which would have led to an uprising backed by world opinion? In other words, was this the last option for postponing the inevitable, with the most one could do being to rely on the IDF?
And even more than that, there really was no option to conquer Gaza, if only because the world would not have allowed it and we would not have had legitimacy. If so, what option was there besides allowing the money to go in?
2. On the substance of the matter, I think there will never be a solution unless the moderate Arab states, together with international backing, take responsibility for Gaza and uproot the education that calls for destroying Israel. Otherwise, it seems we will forever be forced to live by the sword, with a dialectic of letting money in, and so on. What does the Rabbi think?
Answer
My view is that indeed no solution is expected in the near future, and not even with the help of moderate Arab states or international backing. For the time being, we have to live by the sword. But even when we live by the sword, there is no reason to nurture terrorist organizations.