The postwar vision that sees Gaza sliced into security zones
As Israel prepares to wind down major military operations in Gaza, one question looms large: What happens next? A plan that is gaining currency in the government and military envisions creating geographical “islands" or “bubbles" where Palestinians who are unconnected to Hamas can live in temporary shelter while the Israeli military mops up remaining insurgents. Other members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party are backing another, security-focused plan that seeks to slice up Gaza with two corridors running across its width and a fortified perimeter that would allow Israel’s military to mount raids when it deems them necessary.
The ideas come from informal groups of retired army and intelligence officers, think tanks, academics and politicians, as well as internal discussions inside the military. While Israel’s political leadership has said almost nothing about how the Gaza Strip will look and be governed after the heaviest fighting ends, these groups have been working on detailed plans that offer a glimpse of how Israel is thinking about what it calls the Day After.
The plans—whether or not they get adopted in full—reveal hard realities about the aftermath that rarely get voiced. Among them, that Palestinian civilians could be confined indefinitely to smaller areas of the Gaza Strip while fighting continues outside, and that Israel’s army could be forced to remain deeply involved in the enclave for years until Hamas is marginalized.
The need to settle on an answer is growing more urgent, as Israel is expected to shift soon to a counterinsurgency phase of fighting that will reduce troops in Gaza and could leave the enclave mired in lawlessness and violent instability if no alternative is found. Adding to
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