# 450 – The Day After

Post-War

First, for those of you who want in-your-face clarity of the overall situation, take an hour of your time and watch Douglas Murray. He’s very English, so you’ll need tea. And I want your comments. This is more ‘behind the Gaza war’ rather than the obvious horrors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqzdnPjPhW0&ab_channel=Triggernometry

Post-war…When it comes -‘ and it will – what will be some of the obvious outcomes? On the Palestinian/ Hamas side, whoever survives the war will continue in their position. There will be no enquiry.

On the international side, there will be mayhem. The UN, the ICC and Human Rights groups from A-Z will be after the culprits. If they’re clever, they will also pursue some on the Hamas/Palestinian side, with the full knowledge that they will not be brought to justice.

And the guilty Israelis? Good question, for some/most of them will be facing Israel’s democratic system. And if you laugh at that, please let me know.

First, when this is ‘all over’, some will immediately step back from the military or political positions, so that they will no longer be in positions of influence. They will still be open to prosecution by Israeli and/or intl. law. And if so, will offer themselves up.

The others – the deniers (presumably including Netanyahu) will have to face 2 fronts. The first is the electorate; the people of Israel, the democratic system. There will be a vote of confidence, which the govt. will lose, and there will be new elections. The extremists will ALL be out. The more Centrist govt, similar to the previous one which contained a moderate Arab party, will likely be reinstalled, but with a greater majority; a stronger government that then has a chance to move forward. (Yes, I know. I sound like a dreamer).

Of course, I am scared that the typical blind voter of today still loves Bibi and will vote for him. But it is unlikely that they have the majority.

And then there is the power of democracy; the Israeli legal system. (Remember the fervour with which. the protesters in Israel fought for a more decent judicial authority). Some of the culprits will have to face their prosecutors.

Only in Israel.

And what about Gaza? –

I read the following Letter in today’s Jerusalem Post –

Left in a vacuum

Everybody seems to be asking: “What about the day after?” We read all kinds of articles about when that time will come. Of course, the Gaza Strip cannot be left in a vacuum. That would be worse than what came beforehand and what is going on right now. Ruth Wasserman Lande writes “The day after” (November 3) outlining the situation, but what about the solution?

I’ve read all kinds of suggestions, including one that the job should be handed over to the Palestinian Authority, which can hardly manage what it has right now.

Other suggestions have been made, including that some coalition of foreign governments should direct the Gazan war survivors onto the right track. Which countries that have sizable numbers of Muslim citizens, who would pressure their host governments into complicated situations, would be able to carry out such a touchy job? Nearly every country in the world, in fact, has such pressure groups among their citizenries.

May I offer a suggestion? When this is over, Israel should take over the management for a set number of years to control that area as a protectorate. No, we definitely don’t wish to absorb two million refugees.

But we do have the experience and the knowledge to be a temporary caretaker government over that strip of land, toward helping them become self-sufficient and successful, and hopefully, peaceful neighbors.

Israel also has the fitting manpower to perform such a project, from among the many Israeli Muslims who are loyal Israeli citizens. They know the mentality and could steer the Gazan people in the proper direction, starting with a basic cleanup of their education system.

Such a project could lead to a success in 25 years, preparing a new generation for a positive outlook on peaceful coexistence with their neighbors in Israel.

SHMUEL SHIMSHONI, Hadera

I have written the following letter in response (I’ll let you know if the J-Post publishes it) –

Sir – I shall publicise Shmuel Shimshoni’s letter (in my daily ‘Letter from Israel’) ‘Left in a vacuum’, and the sooner the better. For now is the time we need propaganda weapons against what’s happening in the World, in addition to getting through this horror. Israel really is the ONLY country who a) has the interest to build a peaceful Palestinian state’ next to it, and b) the means to do it.

It can be taken for granted that the post-war Gaza will be in trauma for some years. Hamas’ devastating loss, added to Israel’s need to remain on military alert for the foreseeable future, will ensure a period of reconstruction. Israel can supply the means, the labour (yes, some of it should be Gazans, of course), while the future Arab partners of Israel (Abraham Accords + Saudi + others) will provide the financing.

(They’ve always been willing to do that, as long as they didn’t have to do anything else). And during those reconstruction years, the Gazans will be ‘re-educated’ by the only people who have direct experience of Israel’s tolerant society: the Israeli Arabs. 2 million of them. What a potential punch in the eye for the anti-Israel world.

Stephen