Eliot Berhman: Improvement in Gaza's Situation Possible in the Next Generation

Eliot Berhman, Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council, suggested that the improvement of the situation in the Gaza Strip after the current war would require two decades and the emergence of a new generation. In a note titled 'Gaza Needs a Plan for the Next Generation' published on November 17 in the Washington Times, he criticized the U.S. recommendation to Israel regarding the design of a 'day after' plan for Gaza. Berhman outlined the establishment of an advanced, prosperous, and politically moderate Gaza Strip not in the near future, but within a twenty-year outlook. He identified the first prerequisite for this plan as establishing security in Gaza with the cooperation of Israel, the members of the 'Abraham Accords,' and other Arab countries, noting that this action would also help reactivate the 'Abraham Accords,' which had been stalled for some time. The 'Abraham Accords,' established about four years ago through the efforts of then-President Donald Trump's administration, led to the normalization of diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab countries in the region, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. Berhman considered the formation of a 'new government' in Gaza as the second priority for improving the situation there and expressed doubts about the identity of future rulers of Gaza, referencing survey results showing minimal Palestinian support for the Fatah movement and the Palestinian Authority led by Mahmoud Abbas. He added that future rulers of the region must be transparent, free from corruption, and ideologically moderate. Reminding of the developments in Egypt and the failed experience of Mohamed Morsi's government, a member of the Islamist group Muslim Brotherhood, in attracting foreign investments, he concluded that foreign governments generally do not invest in Islamist governments, and therefore, the future Palestinian government must be secular and transparent to attract investors. The Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council deemed the sustainability of the Palestinian future contingent upon the eradication of extremism. Berhman cited anti-Semitic sentiments and anti-compromise policies within Palestinian society as obstacles to achieving long-term reconciliation between them and Israel, identifying the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as largely responsible for the persistence of this mindset among Palestinians. He pointed to findings that about 10% of the approximately thirty thousand UNRWA employees are members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad as evidence of this claim. Israel has designated UNRWA as a terrorist entity and banned its activities throughout Israel and the Palestinian territories under its control. Berhman stated that establishing a structure guaranteeing Israel's security, aligned with a good and moderate Palestinian government free from extremism, requires time, energy, and resource allocation, adding that this is achievable for the welfare of Palestinians through appropriate investment, political will, and serious cooperation from partners in the Arab world within a long-term plan. The Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council considered this goal not immediate and for the 'day after,' but rather achievable for the 'next generation' of Gaza residents.