Nobody wants to see Israel reoccupy Gaza, including the Israelis, said retired U.S. General and former CIA Director David Petraeus.

The U.S. also cautioned Israel from reoccupying Gaza, added Petraeus. However, due to a lack of viable options, post-war Gaza may have to be run by Israel by default, at least temporarily.

Petraeus was giving a lecture at the Middle East Institute's S R Nathan Distinguished Lecture on Wednesday (Dec. 13).

The forum was moderated by Bilahari Kausikan, former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and current Chairman of the Middle East Institute.

The goal is the destruction of Hamas

Petraeus, who spent much of his military career in the Middle East, including as commanding general of the coalition forces in the Iraq War, explained that in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attacks by Hamas, the Israelis are guided by two goals.

The first is to destroy Hamas, and the second is to dismantle Hamas' political wing, which has run Gaza.

"The destruction of Hamas, something that is based on their assessment and which I think is not misplaced, is Hamas is like the Islamic State. In essence it's not reconcilable. When we saw the barbarity of the Islamic State, there was recognition by the Iraqi Security Forces...and our partners that this organisation had to be destroyed.

Now destruction in military terms to render the enemy incapable of accomplishing his mission, without reconstitution."

While this was achieved with regards to Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Petraeus said that in Gaza, "I tend to think that there should be some additional big ideas, some of these are very, very difficult."

Israel may end up governing Gaza for some period of time

Nobody wants to see Israel reoccupy Gaza, including the Israelis, Petraeus said. He added that the Israelis themselves have stated this, and the U.S. has cautioned them against it.

But while Israel wants any alternative that is possible, Petraeus does not see a viable one.

There has been no indication that Arab countries or international organisations would be willing to administer Gaza, Petraeus observed.

In an ideal scenario, a competent, capable, and trustworthy Palestinian entity would be overseeing the Palestinians in Gaza, said Petraeus.

Unfortunately, no such entity could be observed in either Gaza or the West Bank, in Petraeus' view.

The Palestinian Authority has governed some parts of the West Bank since its establishment in 1993, but has been losing credibility both diplomatically and among the Palestinian people since the Second Intifada in the early 2000s.

"What will be the governance (of Gaza)? And I'm starting to think that it may be by default, end up having to be Israel, at least for some period of time," said Petraeus.

“I don't see any willingness on the part of the U.S. (to govern Gaza) either. So one big idea of who is going to administer Gaza, at least on a transitional basis— and it's starting to look increasingly to me like it will have to be Israel as a default mode."

"No great love for Hamas within Gaza"

However, Petraeus pointed out that Hamas does not enjoy overwhelming support from residents of Gaza either.

"There's no great love for Hamas within Gaza. The polling numbers are really quite low," he said, observing that the organisation enjoyed more popularity in the West Bank.

Expanding on what he believed to be an ideal course of action for the future of Gaza, Petraeus asserted the need to drive the extremist groups out of the community.

“Lay out for the people in advance that life is going to be better because we're going to get these extremists, these terrorists out of your community. And we will not just destroy them, we're going to clear it and hold it, and then rebuild it. In other words, we're very concerned about you,” Petraeus said.

He added that it is not just a conventional war, but also about hearts and minds, and the importance of restoring basic services, beginning reconstruction and providing humanitarian assistance, especially given the amount of damage seen in Gaza.

The former U.S. general stressed that it was necessary to keep an eye on and pressure the extremists while preventing them from reconstituting physically, with the objective of making life better for the people.

"[Preventing the] reconstitution of Hamas may turn out to be the biggest of the challenges that Israel has after destroying Hamas, which I do believe can be done, albeit very, very challenging,” Petraeus said.

Importance of the two-state solution

Bilahari asked if there was a viable pathway to a two-state solution.

Singapore supports a two-state solution, consistent with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, to achieve a safe and lasting peace.

Petraeus pointed out that any solution requires stability, and Israel's bid to restore stability and deterrence after the Oct. 7 attack had made a pathway for a solution even more complicated, at least in the immediate future.

He also stressed the importance of a two-state solution.

He acknowledged that Palestinian and Israeli leaders have been unable to make compromises to reach an agreement on the two-state solution, but stressed the need for the parties to "at least try to contribute to the conditions that could enable an eventual two-state solution".

This includes building up the institutions of the Palestinian Authority, security forces, and the education system there, and avoiding creating any more obstacles to the two-state solution.

Top image via Keyla Supharta