Hamas has proposed a framework for a five-year peace period with Israel if Hamas and Israel can reach a two-state solution where Palestine is granted independent nation-state status based on pre-1967 boundaries that favor Palestine.
Interview Context
Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya stated that Hamas would disarm under these conditions and become a political party within the state. Israel’s allies remain suspicious as one of Hamas’s founding visions has always been the destruction of Israel.
Israeli Stance
It is unlikely that Israel will take up the proposal as set forth by Hamas. Firstly, because Zionist Israel does not want to concede territory as delineated by the 1967 border, which Hamas is insisting upon. In the absence of an agreement framework, Israel will continue its efforts of self-defense by dismantling the terrorist organization Hamas.
Tragic Consequences
Since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, Israel has responded by military fronts throughout Gaza. The response has destroyed infrastructure in Palestine, led to the displacement of over one million Palestinians, and resulted in the death of over 34,000 individuals.
Military Status
While Israel has weakened Hamas in the region, Hamas’s support base is across multiple borders within the Middle East region. This has led to concerns about widespread regional warfare. Israel remains committed to destroying Hamas, despite Western attempts to temper Israeli actions in already devastated Gaza.
Ceasefire Stalemate
Now that the conflict has reached the six-month mark without a ceasefire agreement within sight, statesmen across the region are interested in finding a way to quell the heightened level of threat.
Prisoner Exchange
There was a short period in November where some hostages held by Hamas were exchanged for 240 prisoners held by Israel, but there are many more hostages Hamas will not release, and there is no way forward practicable at this point in time.
Hamas’s Political Shift
Hamas leader Al-Hayya suggested a path of legitimizing Palestine as an independent sovereign state, with Hamas tailoring its role in the region within the constraints of a new two-state system.
Israeli and U.S. Skepticism
Given the existential underpinning of Hamas to negate the existence of the State of Israel, both the U.S. and Israel are unlikely to trust the stated guarantees of Hamas. In fact, Hamas, like other terrorist organizations, has a history of not abiding by past agreements.
International Perspective
The Biden Administration, along with much of the international community, could support a two-state solution, granting Palestine sovereign nation status. This support for the two-state solution exists among Israel’s allies even though Israel does not support the solution to the regional conflict.
Future of the Conflict
Hamas has suggested that without a two-state solution, while the current battle may reach a temporary conclusion, the underlying fight for sovereign state status will remain and likely emerge in future conflicts and uprisings.
While the Sides Remain Entrenched in Conflict, Displaced Palestinians Left Without Stable Future Prospects
The Palestinians on the ground in Gaza, homeless and displaced without adequate infrastructure to support their community, are stuck relying on temporary and insufficient humanitarian aid while the peace negotiations stall without an end in sight.
Hamas’s Firm Stance
Hamas continues to assert its right to initiate the attacks on Israel on October 7. This insistence and intransigence in the face of such devastation for its own Palestinian people display some of the reasons why Western and Israeli leaders are hesitant to engage with terrorist groups such as Hamas, who are notoriously ideologically driven, even to the detriment of their own membership.
Qatar’s Changing Role in Mediating Peace in the Region
Qatar has long been involved in mediating and negotiating peace and ceasefire agreements between Israel and Hamas. Many of Hamas’s leaders had been living in Qatar, however as the headquarters of Hamas have been moving more decisively to Turkey, Qatar has expressed that the state will reconsider its role in the peace mediation.
