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Judging by the disastrous aftermath of the initial regime change wars in Iraq and Libya, it is never too early to plan for the day after Israel decimates Hamas in Gaza.
On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Gaza “can’t go back to the status quo with Hamas being in a position, in terms of its governance of Gaza, to repeat what it did.” The Israelis have “no intent, no desire, to be running Gaza themselves,” Blinken added. Therefore “something needs to be found, [and] there are different ideas, but all of that needs to be worked… even as Israel is dealing with the current threat.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Friday told the Knesset that his country has a three-phased plan for Gaza. In the first phase, airstrikes will be followed by a ground invasion “to defeat and destroy Hamas.” The second phase will be lower intensity fighting to “eliminate pockets of resistance,” and in the third, Israel will create a new security regime and relinquish “responsibility of day-to-day life.” Gallant did not mention who will take over this responsibility.