- The New York Times reported on Friday that senior Israeli officials have considered sharing power with Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt, as well as the US, in Gaza after the war. New York Times (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- The proposal would likely be shot down by both the Arab states and Israel's political right-wing, as it doesn't include a mechanism to establish a Palestinian state. The Times of Israel (a)
- The report comes after an Egyptian official told the Wall Street Journal that Israel had warned Hamas it has one week to agree to the revised cease-fire proposal, or it will enter Rafah. The Wall Street Journal
- Hamas' political leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, hasn't responded to the proposal as of yet. Sinwar, who Israel accuses of taking part in orchestrating the Oct. 7 attack, is allegedly hiding out in Hamas' tunnel network underneath the besieged enclave. The Wall Street Journal
- However, Israeli Channel 12 has reported that Sinwar believes the latest cease-fire proposal is a trap, citing an unverified source. It further added that Lebanon's Hezbollah had been pressuring Hamas to accept the deal. The Times of Israel (b)
- Meanwhile, UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement, warning that "the war will worsen exponentially" without a cease-fire. Al Jazeera (LR: 2 CP: 1)
Pro-establishment narrative:
- Though the Israeli right and the Arab states will likely dismiss this proposal, it indicates that Israel's leadership has been considering its strategy for Gaza's post-war governance. Though the right wants to crush Gaza, and the Arab states wish for a clear framework for the establishment of a Palestinian state, it's still possible for cooler heads to prevail. The biggest issue as of now, however, is that Hamas hasn't been defeated, and Netanyahu needs to think fast to extricate himself and Israel from this situation.
NEW YORK TIMES (LR: 2 CP: 5)
Pro-Israel narrative:
- Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel was the final nail in the coffin for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the enclave has essentially existed as a terrorist-run proto-state led by Hamas. Given the Palestinian Authority's inefficacy, Israel has no partners for peace, and the last 20 years in Gaza prove this. A violent, terrorist-run Palestinian state would be an existential threat to Israel's security.
JERUSALEM POST (LR: 3 CP: 5)
Pro-Palestine narrative:
- US Pres. Joe Biden must realize what Israel and Netanyahu plan to do with Gaza after the war — change the "facts on the ground" so that Palestinians can't return and Gaza's beachfront real estate be transformed into luxurious Israeli settlements. At best, Biden is blind to what Israel's true desires are and, at worst, fully complicit in Gaza's ethnic cleansing. Israeli officials continue to openly say what they want to do with Gaza and the Palestinian people, yet all the US can do is express concern.
MIDDLE EAST EYE
Nerd narrative:
- There's a 50% chance that Israel will recognize Palestine by 2076, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)