Opinion Today: 10 ideas for peace in Gaza

Thinking about, and discussing, how to move forward.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story December 13, 2023 By Daniel J. Wakin Senior Staff Editor, Opinion Gaza seems a land without hope right now, but everyone with a stake in this war needs to think about how to give the territory a future. This will be hard given that the realists and the pessimists are arguing why this plan, that idea, this proposal, won't work. And contemplating a future for a piece of the earth so utterly devastated, with nearly its entire population displaced, becomes more difficult every day. Here are some of the reasons for pessimism: The Biden administration wants to empower the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, but Palestinians are widely dissatisfied with the body. What's more, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ruling out control by the Authority, declaring that Israel would take "overall military responsibility" for Gaza after the war. But how could Israeli military control of Gaza bring lasting peace? What role should Palestinian leaders and Gazans assume? And can the rest of the world make the right moves in Gaza to help put the region back on a path toward a two-state solution? Gaza demands more ideas, more ingenuity, more hope. That is why Times Opinion this week published a group of 10 essays laying out potential solutions. The concepts presented here are not all new and are of varying degrees of feasibility. Some are frameworks with specific elements, others are visionary. Several of the ideas involve supporting a Gaza where Palestinians control their own destiny. Most call for help from others: the United States and Arab and European nations. Another theme that recurs is that the Netanyahu government must go. Underlying all of these proposals is the assumption that both sides must have security. Talking about ideas is essential. And within hours of this collections' digital publication, scores of readers weighed in on how to approach Gaza's future. 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