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/ The Gaza Campaign
The events of October 7 and the ensuing war prompt the question of the “day after” in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Both sides of Israel’s political spectrum recognize that achieving calm and Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation necessitate a process of deradicalization, the essence of which is a broad conceptual change in Palestinian educational, economic, legal and political institutions. However, Israeli peace agreements and past efforts to eradicate public extremism in the Arab world and the Palestinian Authority have failed, mainly because they have set a high bar disconnected from any political process, geopolitical reality, and the desires and needs of Palestinian society. The necessary conditions for deradicalization include a range of symbolic and institutional changes, among them construction of a new Palestinian narrative oriented toward peace and coexistence, alongside economic recovery and profound changes in the Palestinian education and legal systems. The changes must be achieved with Palestinian agreement and cooperation, but under significant international external supervision and involvement, including the contribution of moderate Arab states. In other words, deradicalization must be part of a comprehensive political process that establishes and promotes the conditions for its success. This document proposes steps toward a process of deradicalization in the Israeli-Palestinian case based on a comparative study of three historical cases: Nazi Germany after World War II, Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Yugoslav Wars, and Iraq after the Second Gulf War. A discussion of the successes and failures of these cases in promoting deradicalization and achieving sustainable peace is the basis of recommendations for initiating a similar process in Palestinian (and Israeli) society on the “day after” the end of the fighting in Gaza.
