The Day After the War Forum includes academics in the fields of Middle East, law, and social
sciences. The Forum was established immediately after the October 7 atrocities by Hamas in Israel,
which resulted in more than 1,300 people viciously murdered, more than 5,000 wounded, and 214
kidnapped to Gaza (100-200 are still missing).
The Forum’s goal is to raise awareness among the Israeli public that an extensive military
operation to overthrow the Hamas regime in Gaza must be part of a broader multi-state political
alliance, shaped with the cooperation and support of Western countries and moderate Arab
countries. Without both elements – the military and the political – Israel will successfully weaken
Hamas' military arm, at a heavy cost, but without eliminating its control of the Gaza Strip.
The broad international consensus following the October 7th massacre is that Hamas is a danger to
Israel and blocks a solution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict. A fundamental geo-political shift is
necessary for both Israelis and Palestinians to live in security and prosperity, free from terror.
The Forum seeks to influence the current public discourse in Israel via daily communications,
Opinion pieces, and media interviews. We will also collaborate with other groups that share our
goal.
The main messages of the Forum include:
1. Israel must not fall into the trap Hamas has set.
Hamas and its allies are prepared and ready for Israel's ground campaign. It is possible that the
entire operation in the South of Israel was designed to lure the IDF into Gaza, in order to open
another front, by Hezbollah, from the North. In this scenario, the axis of Hamas, Hezbollah, Hamas
members in the West Bank, Iran, and Russia, would start a war against Israel. This is a death trap
not only for Israeli soldiers in Gaza, but for the State of Israel.
2. The situation demands we act to isolate Iran and its proxies
The horrific attack by Hamas has created an opportunity to improve Israel's safety and geo-political
situation in the long-run. This is by advancing a coalition with the moderate axis in the Middle
East, led by the United States: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and some of the
Gulf States. The Arab peace initiative was signed by 22 countries. If Israel now takes this path, it
will succeed in isolating Iran and Hezbollah, and promote an alliance with a large group of
countries in the Middle East that share common interests. This is good for Israel and the
Palestinians, and bad for Hamas and Hezbollah.
3. Let's hit Hamas where it hurts the most: removing its control of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas and the Islamic Jihad are not afraid of civilian deaths in Gaza. These do not weaken Hamas,
but strengthen it. As proven in the past, Hamas can also take heavy military losses and still recover.
But losing control of the Gaza Strip would deny Hamas its key source of power. Achieving this
requires a multi-national plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Past experience suggests
such a plan will weaken support for Hamas among the residents of the Gaza Strip, as happened in
the past.
4. Many Gazans want an end to Hamas rule – we must help them
Not all residents of the Gaza Strip support Hamas, and they will remain Israel’s neighbors after
Israel defeats Hamas. Our actions now will be decisive in whether Gazans will be supporters of
Hamas or of an entity that Israel can live side by side with, like it does with the Palestinian
Authority.
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