Fatah’s eighth conference convened last month following internal struggles, criticism of the organization’s leadership, and the departure of senior activists, all of which cast doubt on the ability to hold it. Yet its outcomes indicate that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, with the help of his loyalists and institutional mechanisms, succeeded in convening a conference with a larger number of participants than in the past, conducting elections, and incorporating new and younger figures into the organization’s central...
This article examines the issue of dismantling Hamas’s military capabilities and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip by the IDF as a proactive, preemptive measure and a necessary prerequisite for implementing the “Twenty-Point Plan” for stabilizing and rehabilitating the Strip. The working assumption is that without a fundamental solution to the issue of military power in Gaza, any attempt to advance political or economic rehabilitation processes is doomed to failure. A lack of progress means the strengthening of Hamas, the rebuilding of...
As the campaign against Iran winds down, attention is expected to return to the Gaza Strip. In the meantime, Hamas is exploiting the strategic vacuum to rehabilitate its governance and military capabilities. Simultaneously, the Trump framework remains stalled, and the “Board of Peace” faces professional, operational, and budgetary difficulties in advancing its declared objectives. The issue of demilitarization remains trapped between Israel’s demand for the complete and immediate disarmament of Hamas and the...
The war between the United States and Israel against Iran and its regional consequences have significantly shifted regional and international attention toward securing global energy sources and supply, curbing Iran, and shaping a new regional balance of power. This comes after many years in which resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was perceived as the key to ensuring regional stability. However, this shift does not necessarily indicate declining interest in the conflict itself, but rather a change in approach: the prolonged...
On April 25, 2026, local elections were held across the Palestinian Authority territories—in the West Bank and in Deir al-Balah within the Gaza Strip. The elections took place across 403 cities and local municipalities, yielding a relatively low overall voter turnout of approximately 53%. Hamas boycotted the elections and did not officially participate, despite being the most popular political organization among the Palestinian public. An analysis of the elections reveals a complex picture of a society attempting to maintain a...
The West Bank arena is in the middle of a conceptual and practical transformation. Under the cover of the essential requirement of “absolute security,” the government is advancing a policy of applying Israeli sovereignty, blocking pathways to a future political settlement, weakening the Palestinian Authority to the point of collapse, and pushing Palestinians out of their places of residence. This policy effectively adopts the principles of the “Decisive Plan” promoted by the government’s ideological right and rooted in the doctrine...
The radicalization of Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip is not a new phenomenon, but the process has accelerated and deepened dramatically since Hamas’ takeover of the territory in 2007. Under its rule, an extremist religious-nationalist ideology has been systematically embedded across all spheres of Gaza life—from education and religious institutions to welfare and the media—producing a profound “Hamasification” of public consciousness.
The war that erupted on October 7 brought unprecedented ruin to the Gaza Strip, both...
The Board of Peace was initially conceived as a focused initiative intended to support the stabilization and reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip, as part of President Trump’s 20-Point Plan, which was anchored in the UN Security Council Resolution 2803. However, a review of its charter indicates a substantial deviation from its original purpose: the board is now defined as a global conflict-resolution mechanism outside the UN framework, with no reference to Gaza and no limitation to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This gap...
The US administration has declared the transition to Phase II of the Trump plan for stabilizing the Gaza Strip, presenting both the international “Board of Peace” (BoP), which is meant to support the management and reconstruction of the Strip, and the Palestinian technocratic committee that will administer Gaza’s affairs. The general who will head the International Stabilization Force (ISF) was also announced. Israeli and Palestinian reactions reveal a gap in expectations and concerns: Israel seeks to slow the pace of progress, as...
The scope of Jewish terrorism against Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria has evolved from marginal, localized incidents into a widespread phenomenon occurring within the broader struggle for control of the area and a growing effort to uproot the Palestinian presence, primarily from Area C. The number and scale of violent attacks have increased in recent years, with greater intensity since October 7, 2023. Despite this, the Israeli government and the security establishment—including the Judea and Samaria District of the Israel...
The memorandum proposes a research framework for analyzing and understanding a major strategic challenge facing the State of Israel: an accelerating slide toward a “one-state” reality between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Such an outcome is expected to severely undermine the Zionist vision of a Jewish, democratic, secure, and prosperous state.
The memorandum examines the main drivers pushing Israel toward a one-state model. These include the erosion of the two-state paradigm; the weakening of the Palestinian Authority;...
This article analyzes Israel’s strategic maneuvering space in the Gaza Strip in 2026. In the background are the Trump administration’s determination to implement the Gaza framework and Hamas’s recovery as long as the momentum for change is delayed. Israel faces a dilemma between two main alternatives: The first seeks to fully realize the demilitarization option in accordance with the Trump framework, which would require Israel to show flexibility regarding the conditions for the return of the Palestinian Authority to the Strip; a...
