The New York Declaration: The Unanimous Declaration by the European Union and Union of Arab States

This "New York Declaration" was signed by all 22 members of the Arab League and the entire European Union.

Last week, the Arab League, in a significant shift, joined a high-level international conference at the United Nations in New York and signed a declaration that, for the first time, explicitly condemned the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. 

Key points from the declaration regarding Gaza, Hamas, and the hostages include:

• Condemnation of the October 7 attacks: The declaration condemned the attacks by Hamas against civilians on October 7, 2023, as well as Israeli attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza.

• Release of hostages: The declaration called for the release of all hostages.

• Hamas's role in Gaza: It urged Hamas to disarm and hand over its rule of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority. The document frames this as a necessary step to end the war, facilitate humanitarian aid, and advance a two-state solution.

• Ceasefire and humanitarian aid: The declaration called for a permanent ceasefire and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

• Post-war governance: The declaration supports a phased plan for a two-state solution, with an independent, demilitarized Palestine living peacefully alongside Israel. It also supports the possible deployment of a temporary UN stabilization mission in Gaza.

Honestly, though the beligerant parties don't agree, this is the correct recipe for a real peace.

Israel must not permanently rule Gaza.

Israel must not permanently conquer and rule Gaza.

It is nearly impossible to fathom, but recent reports (8/5/25) are that the Israeli cabinet is meeting this week to discuss the proposal to "fully conquer" and permanently rule the Gaza strip.  This would be a tragic decision with no possible positive outcome in the short or long term future. 

Human Rights:    Gaza is ungovernable by outside forces both practically and morally.  The 2 million inhabitants of Gaza deserve, at the very least, a non-militarized self-governing sovereign future.  As a simple matter of human rights, there is no argument to justify such an occupation in an area where Israel has no citizenry or industry to protect.  

Zionism:    There is no ideological justification for Israel to be in Gaza.  Gaza is not historically a part of the Land of Israel, either biblically or rabbinically.  The settler movement in the post-1967 war founded the first Israeli settlements in Gaza in 1970, and the entire enterprise was proven to be a terrible and indefensible idea.  The 2005 withdrawal from Gaza under Ariel Sharon was long overdue at the time, and the dismantling of 21 late modern settlements provided for what should have been a defensible border between Gaza and Israel. There is no reason to believe that a return to Gaza settlements, advocated by the same far side of the political spectrum, would have any different outcome this time.

Security:    There is no evidence that an Israeli occupying force would face anything other than permanent guerrilla warfare in Gaza, with a war of attrition slowly adding up the losses over the years.  Additional entry and exit points to maintain the occupation and settlement effort would only make the border more porous, not less.  Every Israeli soldier and citizen moved into the Gaza Strip would be a closer target for the ongoing Hamas hatred to strike at.  

Cost:    The Bank of Israel has projected that war-related costs from 2023 to 2025 could amount to $55.6 billion, representing about 10% of Israel's economy. Other analyses, like one from the RAND Corporation, suggest that the total cost over the next decade could be much higher, potentially reaching $400 billion in lost economic activity due to indirect effects such as reduced investment, slowing productivity growth, and labor market disruptions.  The fiscal irresponsibility of a permanent military rule of Gaza is nearly criminal.

So, if you want to ignore Human Rights, Zionism, Security and Cost, I guess you can think about it.  Any ONE of those reasons would be sufficient not to move ahead with such a disastrous plan.  Israel deserves a better future than a permanent quagmire in Gaza.