Time magazine published an article by two people interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in which they criticized and analyzed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the repercussions of the attack by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on October 7.

The authors of the article - David Halperin, CEO of the Israel Policy Forum, and his colleague Michael Koplow, the forum's policy officer - stated that Netanyahu has been declaring in recent weeks his rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state and for the Palestinian Authority to have a role in the Gaza Strip. It also refuses to transfer all tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority, and does not allow Palestinians from the West Bank who hold work permits to resume work in Israel.

In an article in the Wall Street Journal on December 25, Netanyahu put forward three “undefined” preconditions for peace, namely the elimination of the Hamas movement; the demilitarization of Gaza; and the eradication of “extremism” from Palestinian society. But he failed - according to The article - in presenting any vision of how to mobilize international or regional support to achieve its goals.

He appears to be focused on limiting the repercussions of the Hamas attack and the subsequent Israeli aggression on Gaza. It appears that the Hamas attack and the new situation it has provoked in the Gaza Strip have provided new opportunities that Israel has been looking for a long time, according to Halperin and Koplow.

Israel is frustrated

Israel has always sought international support, which has been eluded by it on some issues. “It has warned for years of the consequences of Iran providing aid to Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah,” and of the Palestinian Authority paying money to martyrs and prisoners.

The two writers praised the “clear success” achieved by the Abraham Normalization Agreements with Arab countries, while Israel seemed “frustrated” because its complaints about the Iranian axis, and the “incitement” against Israel included in the school curricula drawn up by the Palestinian Authority, did not find many deaf ears.

However, the two writers believe that Netanyahu's continued refusal to discuss a political horizon for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and his successive "enthusiastic" speeches and statements against the Palestinian Authority make it difficult, if not impossible, to obtain international support for these issues.

Halperin and Koplow expressed their understanding of US President Joe Biden's growing frustration, and advise him of the need to increase pressure on Netanyahu and his government to adopt a more flexible vision of the opportunities available at the present time, and not focus only on the risks.

They stressed that the United States should not waste time holding donor forums or conferences for the reconstruction of Gaza until Netanyahu sets an effective political vision for the post-war period that is consistent with the priorities of countries in the region. Otherwise, Washington's efforts will be in vain.

While this situation will lead to more friction between the United States and Israel, there is significant political support from both the Democratic and Republican parties in America for efforts aimed at “real reform” of the Palestinian Authority, and expanding the scope of the normalization process in the region.

Source: Time+ Aljazeera