The article discusses the Palestinian and Israeli conflict in the context of the recent 11-day bombardment against the Gaza Strip before an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. The author highlights that the division of authority between Hamas-ruled Gaza and the Fatah-ruled PA in the West Bank is particularly devastating for those living in Gaza who struggle with both the challenges of life under blockade and frequent violence and bombardment from Israel. The administrative dysfunction created by the disjointed Fatah/PA-ruled West Bank and Hamas-ruled Gaza creates additional misery for Palestinians living in the Strip. To press Hamas, at times the PA has suspended payments to Israel for electricity it supplies to Gaza, provoking cuts to the already limited available power. The PA has also either stopped paying civil servants in Gaza or reduced their salaries. Given the high levels of poverty, food insecurity, and unemployment in Gaza, such actions are particularly painful for the residents. The author suggests that 1. the Biden administration should support a Fatah-Hamas reconciliation and the creation of a national unity government to boost a Palestinian political renewal that includes Palestinian elections and Hamas’s inclusion under the PLO umbrella. 2. The US work with Israel to end the blockade and restoring the connectivity between Gaza and the West Bank, as agreed to by Israel in Oslo II, and removing movement and access restrictions to allow Palestinians in Gaza to travel freely in and out of the Strip and carry out normal economic activity. 3 The United States should also work to ensure that Israel does not obstruct elections and that Palestinians may campaign and vote in East Jerusalem.
