The U.S. Should Announce It Favors a Palestinian State in Gaza

I believe the U.S. should now announce that it favors the creation of a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip after this Israel-Hamas War there is finished. But it would only be the beginning of a Palestinian state that later would receive added territory.

On Wednesday, both U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Council and White House spokesman John Kirby made very significant statements about the future of the Gaza Strip that represent a significant and profound change for the U.S. respecting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I think such an announcement would help placate the growing animosity worldwide against Israel for its unmerciful bombing of especially the northern Gaza Strip that has resulted reportedly in over 10,000 civilian deaths.

On Monday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused U.S. President Joe Biden’s request that Israel ceasefire in Gaza for about three days to give Palestinians living in northern Gaza the opportunity to safely move south as the Israel Defense Forces had been advising. Many news outlets and pundits have been asking how Gaza will then be governed after this war, since Israel had not said anything about Gaza’s post-war future. So, Netanyahu added that Israel would afterwards have to “control” the Gaza Strip “for an indefinite period.”

That is why Secretary Blinken said on Wednesday, while attending the Group of Seven annual meeting in Tokyo, that Israel must not do anything of the sort; Rather, he said the Gaza Strip needs to be governed by Palestinians. And the Biden administration has been indicating hope in the prospect of it being the beginning of the creation of a Palestinian state. Blinken said of Gaza’s future, “The United States believes key elements should include no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza–not now, not after the war. No reoccupation of Gaza” by Israel, “after the war ends. No attempt to blockade or besiege Gaza,” which Israel has been doing ever since Hamas started governing it in 2007. And Blinken added, “No reduction in the territory of Gaza.” I wonder if this last remark signifies that Blinken is thinking of the exact opposite of that–Israel forfeiting some of its territory adjacent to the Gaza Strip as part of a land swap involving portions of the West Bank. If so, why not now announce the U.S. favors making Gaza the beginning of a future Palestinian state?