While some in Israel are eyeing a continuation of the war after the ceasefire is over, in Saudi Arabia and other countries, there are already discussions underway over what the post-war reality will look like.
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Senior Saudi officials say that everyone agrees that Hamas will not stay in the Gaza Strip and that this murderous regime will not return to the Gazan arena or to the West Bank.
Video: Mixed-gender Shachar Battalion joins fighting / Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
Saudi Arabia is working on measures that would see a protracted diplomatic process involving all Gulf states along with Egypt and Jordan. Turkey will also participate in the process after Qatar enlisted its help in assisting Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, who has embarked on shuttle diplomacy worldwide to reach broad agreements that include China and Russia alongside the United States.
The emerging solution is based on the two-state solution as stipulated in the Arab Initiative from 2002, with a demilitarized Palestinian state under international and Arab supervision.
The reconstruction of Gaza will be led by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, alongside other countries, and in the three years following the war, there will be an international and Arab mandate over Gaza. A senior Saudi official involved in the developing plan said the international forces will be deployed in Palestinian Authority territories to assist in managing the day-to-day affairs, alongside security coordination with Israel until the completion of the delineation of the Palestinian state's map alongside Israel.
The proposed plan could become a reality if there is a new leadership running Israel that is neither extreme nor messianic. The Saudis believe that there will be a different government in Israel that will view the situation and the future through different lenses.
"The Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has already blocked the phone numbers of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and all his aides and envoys," sources close to the palace say, emphasizing that he is aware that he needs to seek new partners in Israel to achieve normalization after resolving the Palestinian issue and establishing a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel. The sources also mentioned that the recent statements by the Egyptian president, in which he floated the idea of a Palestinian state, are designed to gauge the seriousness of the current Israeli government. They noted that the rejection of this proposal by Israel did not surprise anyone.
Nevertheless, alongside the military effort that Israel is conducting against Hamas, it must also look towards the day after and acknowledge that the Palestinian neighbor will remain in place and not disappear and that Arab Israelis will continue to demand civil equality. Therefore, Saudi sources say, measured and courageous steps must be taken towards a solution that ensures the future for everyone in this region. They promise that they will ensure this new reality will exist and address incitement and all related issues pertaining to an atmosphere of reconciliation and laying the groundwork for a tolerant and accepting environment based on true Islam, without distortions from Hamas and Iran.
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