The ‘day after’ plan

IN a brief message to the media on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally responded to the worldwide opposition to Tel Aviv’s unending assault on Gaza by laying out his post-war diplomatic vision. The plan envisages Israel controlling Gaza security indefinitely, while its handpicked ‘contractors’ would run the administration. It does not mention the Palestinian Authority, has vague references to a deradicalisation plan and hints at the involvement of some Arab countries. Gaza would be watched from land, air and sea as Israel maintains surveillance over the area west of Jordan.

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For a leader whose reputation for keeping Israel safe is in tatters and whose military operation is yet to achieve even half its aim despite causing the death of around 30,000 Palestinians, Netanyahu is catering to his mass base. The root cause of the recurring violence is the heavy-handedness of Israeli security forces and illegal settlers, besides the PM’s adamant rejection of the two-state solution. By effectively proposing that Gaza become a Union Territory of Israel, run by collaborators, and watched over by its army, Netanyahu is sowing the seeds of another conflict.

The plan also ignores the human and moral aspects of post-war Gaza. There is no word on what the 20 lakh Gazans will do. Who will replace the expelled UN relief organisations? Even the US has expressed opposition to the plan. Without addressing the basic trigger for the unrest — the demand for a Palestinian state — Israel’s plan to install a puppet leadership with the army calling the shots will breed more explosive discontent. A perpetually perilous security situation could well lead to Israel’s exclusion from the India-Middle East-Europe corridor, thus hurting Tel Aviv’s economic interests as well.