Highlights
– Increased Egyptian and Jordanian roles in the Palestinian Territories
– Israel striving to end Occupying Power status
– Support for disengagement not universal
– Will not succeed without a Palestinian State
In recent weeks, separate announcements were made informing the media that Egypt and Jordan successfully increased their electricity provision in Gaza and the West Bank. For its part, Egypt increased its provision of electricity in Gaza from 17 to 150 megawatts. Jordan, on the other hand, ended a forty-year severance from the West Bank when it connected the city of Jericho to its electrical power grid.
Israel’s Path to Disengagement
Though both countries cited humanitarian concerns as the impetus for their decisions, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the Israeli government is in the process of negotiating increased roles for Egypt and Jordan in providing the Palestinian Territories access to electricity, fuel, and food. In line with former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement policy, the news that Israel is working behind the scenes to sever its ties with the Palestinian Territories is evidence that Israel is continuing along the path of a two state solution. However, Israel is no longer seeking a Palestinian state, but is instead willing to disengage with Gaza and the West Bank as separate entities.
Following the decision to attain Egypt and Jordan’s support and agreement to provide provisions for the majority of electricity, fuel, and food for Gaza and the West Bank, Israel will be one step closer to ending its Occupying Power status.
The Disengagement Debate
Israeli public opinion, however, has shifted since 2005. The majority of the Israeli public, and many Palestinian leaders, no longer support disengagement as a viable option. Had Israel not unilaterally withdrawn from Gaza, they argue, Hamas would not have been capable of wresting control of the territory from the Palestinian Authority.
Another group believes disengagement is the answer but a Palestinian State is not. Under their plan, the West Bank and Gaza would return under Jordanian and Egyptian sovereignty. Israel would alleviate itself of its responsibility and Jordan and Egypt would take full responsibility for governing the territories’ devastated economies, infrastructure, and security apparatuses. Supporters of this plan argue that Jordan and Egypt are better equipped to govern the Palestinian Territories than the ineffective Palestinian Authority and will be a more acceptable alternative to a Palestinian State than Israeli occupation.
A more radical, less outspoken group in the Knesset represents the Israeli Ultraorthodox and the Zionists. They believe that disengagement is the answer for now, but will be overturned on a future date. For them, disengagement is a means through which Israel can wage a full-scale war against Palestinian militias. To an extent, Israel has followed this policy since Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007. The architect of this plan, Yisrael Beiteinu Knesset member, Yisrael Hasson, argued that once Gaza was declared an enemy state, it would be treated like Syria or Lebanon. Israel would be able to retaliate against rocket attacks with greater force, as if attacked by a hostile country. Disengagement for this group is only temporary, however, as evidenced by the return of settlers to Hebron and growing settler population in the West Bank.
A Look Forward
The last forty years have shown that Israel will not succeed as an occupying power. However, Israel’s policy of unilateral disengagement has also failed to provide enhanced security for the Israeli state. Nonetheless, since Egypt and Jordan are unwilling to incorporate the territories into their borders, the establishment of a Palestinian State is the only hope for peace. However, there is no hope for a successful Palestinian State without a unified government. Therefore, in order for the Palestinian state to succeed, the ongoing Yemen-mediated talks between Fatah and Hamas must reach a negotiated agreement.
After a unity government is formed, talk of returning Gaza and the West Bank to Egyptian and Jordanian sovereignty will be silenced, but Israeli security will still be threatened. Israel will, therefore, be presented with Yisrael Hasson’s alternative. If the unity government is incapable of preventing rocket attacks across its borders with Israel, Israel will treat the Palestinian Territories as an enemy state and strike militant targets within its borders.
