MenuThere is no diplomatic solutionIsrael should declare three nos; no to nuclear Iran, no to two-state solution, no to bi-national state
Annex the Gaza Strip to truly hit Hamas where it hurts
Peloni: Every plan which is motivated by the return of the hostages rather than completing victory over Gaza is fraught with error and destined to surrender to Hamas in exchange for the hostages. This is why the war still persists. It is why the existential threat in Gaza is still in power. And this is why victory stands at odds with the return of the hostages.
We have nothing to lose and so much more to gain if Israel moves ahead and annexes the Gaza Strip.
By DOUGLAS ALTABEF | An IDF soldier operates in Beit Hanun, Gaza Strip, August 7, 2025.(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)Israel and America have struggled to bring Hamas to the negotiating table in the hope of cutting a hostage release deal and moving the conflict to some kind of cessation.
Thanks to the usefully idiotic European governmental leaders and their calls for a Palestinian state, Hamas has concluded that it need do nothing but bide its time in anticipation of an Israeli capitulation.This conviction has been re-enforced by the recent success of the incredible Pallywood production of The Hunger Games: Gaza.With worldwide opprobrium of Israel, Hamas leaders, between more than ample meal courses, have been high fiving each other as to their ability to tug at the heartstrings of a world eager to see Israel as an immoral actor.This sordid state of affairs has reportedly led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to decide to re-occupy all of Gaza. This revelation was intended to scare Hamas, but I doubt that it in and of itself it will have much impact.
Why should Israel annex parts of Gaza?However, there is a policy decision that could have a significant effect on Hamas. Quite simply, that would be the announcement that, effective immediately, Israel will begin to annex land in Northern Gaza.The details would be determined but basically would entail a weekly announcement that an east/west slice of northern Gaza will be added to the land permanently forfeited by Hamas to Israel. There must be no talk or even hints of Israel’s willingness to give it back. The land is now Israel’s, period.Why could this be significant? Quite simply because the idea that a piece of Dar al Islam (a Muslim polity or land holding) being taken by infidels is among the very worst things that can happen to a Muslim state, country or even just a land holding. Not to mention the shame that it would cause that entity’s leaders.“Once Muslim, always Muslim” is the mantra underlying the conviction. Reversing that and severing the connection to Muslim land would be beyond traumatic.HAMAS IS prepared to fight to the very last Gazan. Thus, stealing food from their own hungry people doesn’t bother them at all. Nor does using the entire population as human shields by turning mosques, schools, and hospitals into armories, launching sites, and integral parts of a war strategy.Yet losing land is not just a great black eye, it is a dishonor, and a visible and unmistakable calamitous defeat.Israel already controls significant swaths of northern Gaza. We should take them and, like the Golan Heights post-1967, not only occupy them but formally annex them.Of course, there will be a widespread hue and cry about this; however, the world has long been crying wolf over invented, fabricated, or wildly distorted sins committed by Israel, so we should be inured to this by now.Netanyahu would also be able to explain the logic of the decision to US President Donald Trump, who, at a minimum, is likely to see the negotiating value of such a move, and might even conclude that it creates a great development opportunity.If Hamas thinks we are serious about an ongoing annexation process, they are likely to panic. And even if they don’t panic, they are very likely to be motivated to actually sit down and cut a deal for the release of the remaining hostages.If Hamas does react the way I think it will, with a grudging willingness to discuss a hostage release deal, Israel must clearly announce that the days of partial releases must be over. Definitionally, therefore, from Israel’s perspective, any ultimate return to a negotiation would entail the release of all living and dead hostages, including Hadar Goldin.(Candidly, while I think there is merit in actually keeping these lands forever, ultimately, I want to see the hostages released and Hamas removed from control. If giving back sincerely annexed lands in Gaza can effect those goals, then I would grudgingly give the territory back. But only when Israel’s wish list is fulfilled.)IS ALL of this wishful thinking? Not if it is handled correctly. The key is to treat annexation as a permanent and irreversible fait accompli, not a negotiation tactic subject to discussion. Annexation announcements should be accompanied by detailed development programs discussing the use of the land on a going-forward basis as a newly acquired part of Israel.If there are Gazans in the area, it should be announced that they will be relocated significantly further south, as the expectation is that additional swaths of Gaza will be annexed, so Gazans don’t have to be continually relocated.This is a moment that demands out-of-the-box ideas and initiatives. The tried, true, and futile approaches must be discarded because Hamas will not willingly cede their leverage, and now feels it will not be pressed by the rest of the world to do so.Land annexation is not what Hamas expects, nor what it would accept. We have the physical control of this land currently; all we need is the resolve to move forward with a plan that could turn the tables in this war and promote an actual realization of Israel’s war goals.We have little to lose and much to gain. Start annexing Gaza.The writer is the chairman of the board of Im Tirtzu and a director of the Israel Independence Fund.
1.Never permit any Muslim/Arab occupation in Judea/Samaria or Gaza.
2. Restore Jewish Sovereignty throughout every inch of Gaza.
Proclaim to a misguided world, God’s eternal Covenant with the Jewish people and all the Promised land of Israel.
You can’t do this with half measures like annexing part of Gaza. Israel withdrew in the belief that Gazan would build a state and leave Israelis to live in peace. Now that it’s crystal clear their goal remains the elimination of Israel, the correct response is to annex all of Gaza and all of Judea and Samaria. The Arabs started and lost a war in 1948, and have been intent on pulling a win out by getting the UN to dispossess Israel of land it holds the rights to. Israel must say, “Enough! We’re done trying to trade land for peace we never get. We’re done here now.”
This should be what the Talmudic rabbis called Peshita, meaning so obvious it doesn’t need to be said. The fact that this is not obvious to the leadership of Israel and the US is frightening.
An IDF soldier operates in Beit Hanun, Gaza Strip, August 7, 2025.
1.Never permit any Muslim/Arab occupation in Judea/Samaria or Gaza.
2. Restore Jewish Sovereignty throughout every inch of Gaza.
Proclaim to a misguided world, God’s eternal Covenant with the Jewish people and all the Promised land of Israel.
You can’t do this with half measures like annexing part of Gaza. Israel withdrew in the belief that Gazan would build a state and leave Israelis to live in peace. Now that it’s crystal clear their goal remains the elimination of Israel, the correct response is to annex all of Gaza and all of Judea and Samaria. The Arabs started and lost a war in 1948, and have been intent on pulling a win out by getting the UN to dispossess Israel of land it holds the rights to. Israel must say, “Enough! We’re done trying to trade land for peace we never get. We’re done here now.”
This should be what the Talmudic rabbis called Peshita, meaning so obvious it doesn’t need to be said. The fact that this is not obvious to the leadership of Israel and the US is frightening.