Israel-Hamas/ Bolton war: Arab governments now see the Palestinians as a threat

2023-12-03 22:10:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Israel-Hamas/ Bolton war: Arab governments now see the Palestinians as a threat

John Bolton

The former US National Security Advisor, John Bolton, has spoken about the war in Israel.

In an interview on the "Focus" show with Robert Pope, Bolton said that Israel is far from eliminating the terrorist threat of Hamas, but the long-term sustainable solution that receives little attention is the resettlement of a significant number of Gazans.

"Israel is far from eliminating the terrorist threat of Hamas, but what will happen to the residents of the Gaza Strip next? A sustainable long-term solution that receives little attention is the resettlement of a significant number of Gazans. Reflexively rejecting this idea risks condemning the Middle East to continued terrorism and instability. For decades after the creation of Israel, Arab states, especially radical regimes like Gamal Abdel Nasser's Egypt, insisted that Palestinians had been forcibly displaced. Only return to their "country of origin", namely Israel, was acceptable. Maybe back then people weren't singing "from the river to the sea," but the anti-Israeli Arab governments used the Palestinians as political and military weapons against Israel. Allowing resettlement elsewhere meant recognizing Israel's permanent existence, which was then unacceptable," said John Bolton.

Robert Pope: Will Israel leave Gaza?

John Bolton: Times have changed. Israel will not go away. Muslim governments have recognized Israel. Moreover, the two-state solution is ultimately impossible. Israel will never recognize a "Palestine" that can become another Hamas. In addition, Gaza is neither a viable economic entity nor a state. Israel has made it clear that it rejects any right of return for Palestinians and has announced that it will no longer even issue work visas to Gazans seeking employment. The governance of Gaza after the war could be achieved by dividing it, perhaps along the Gaza Strip, Israel's dividing line, with a UN trusteeship for Israel in the north and one for Egypt in the south.

Robert Pope: Where can the population of Gaza move?

John Bolton: Having previously armed the Palestinians against Israel, Arab governments now see the Palestinians as a threat. At least for now, the West Bank is another question, unless Hamas and other terrorists have more strength there than is immediately apparent. Iran, Hamas's main benefactor, should certainly be willing to accept a large number of people in whom it has long shown such an interest. Most of the other residents of Gaza must be relocated to countries in the region that previously armed them. Although members of Congress have introduced legislation barring Gaza resettlement, America can grant refugee status to Gazans with a proven history of opposition to Hamas, which our media reports is a large number./ CNA