The danger of the “one state” trap that Hamas-Doha-Iran may have set for Israel.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN

Many years ago it was decided that the only way to defeat Israel would not be on the battlefield, but internally. As such some set about trying to shift the discussion in the West and in the Middle East. This was accomplished slowly through various forums, such as the “Durban” anti-Israel conference.

Israel was able to prevail in the Second Intifada, despite unprecedented bus bombings and attacks. When Israel decided to withdraw from Gaza in 2005 this presented a problem for the anti-Israel agenda. Their goal was to use the occupation against Israel. But if Israel left what would they do? They hatched a plan to define Gaza as still “occupied” even if Israel leaves. Hamas prevailed in elections in the Palestinian Authority and it then ended up taking over Gaza.

By 2006 Hamas in Gaza was not only firing rockets but carried out a cross border attack, kidnapping Gilad Shalit. But Israel was not drawn back into Gaza. The attacks increased in 2008 and Israel finally acted. This gave the anti-Israel crowd the wind they needed and they got the Goldstone report. But Israel chose to isolate Gaza and Hamas, and a bargain was launched. Israel would let Hamas get funding from Doha, and divide the Palestinian entities. This seemed smart at the time. Doha was distracted in the period 2012-2018 by the conflict in Syria, and the Arab Spring, Libya and other issues. Hamas was isolated.

However, by the time 2018-2019 came around things changed. The war on ISIS largely ended. The Iran deal ended with Trump in power. Hamas launched the Great Return March. The Syrian regime returned to the Golan border and with it came Hezbollah. Iran began to move arms via Albukamal to Hezbollah. The campaign between the wars grew.

Now Doha and Hamas and Iran acted. Human rights groups were operationalized to define Israel as “apartheid” and reports came out describing the “whole land from the river to the sea” as one polity. Israel was defined as apartheid inside the Green Line. This was the moment the anti-Israel groups abandoned any pretense of two states. Now they would go for one state

To get One State they needed to get Israel back into Gaza and get Hamas into power in Ramallah. Doha, using the model it learned from hosting the Taliban, was able to get this process going. Hamas obliged and planned the massive attack on October 7. Israel’s leadership was convinced to focus on the north and Iran’s threat since 2018. At that time Liberman had resigned, urging Israel to deal with Hamas growing threat. The government chose not to.

Hamas was able to carry out its massive unprecedented attack. Israel’s work at regional stability, the Negev Forum and Abraham Accords were now all sidelined as Israel was sucked into a brutal war close to home, a war “for the house” as Israel calls it, as existential as 1948.

And indeed it is. Israel knows it must defeat Hamas. But Doha-Hamas-Iran and others see this as a huge opportunity. Israel’s most right wing government in history has members who want to return to Gaza and rule it. This is a huge opportunity for the anti-Israel one state apartheid lobby. They want Israel to rule Gaza and even if Hamas terror leadership is defeated, their overall political goal is to move Hamas “political” wing into the West Bank and into Ramallah, the way the Taliban returned to Kabul.

Then they will convince their friends such as Russia-China-Turkey to work in international forms against Israel, as part of the multi-polar world order they want; and Israel will be drawn into endless war in Gaza. Israel’s success is by avoiding endless wars and focusing on technology and modern success. The adversary wants Israel to turn into Afghanistan. They don’t care about sacrificing Gaza to accomplish that. Israel, now faces a problem, endless war in Gaza will import the war into Israel eventually…some extremists in the West Bank, just like they imported gun violence and chaos in the past…and this can lead to the “one state” concept that extremists on both sides want. Israel must be careful not to get sucked into the trap that Iran-Doha-Hamas have prepared. Already Israel evacuated 200,000 people, this is a huge victory for Iran. Danger ahead.