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As Gaza war rages, West Bank officials see a path toward peace

Amid calls for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, an energized Palestinian Authority (PA) is preparing for the day after.

With the United States and Europe giving Palestinians the most diplomatic attention in a decade, officials in Ramallah, West Bank, see a rare opportunity to revive a moribund peace process, reverse the fortunes of an unpopular and distrusted Authority, and bring Palestinians closer to statehood.

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What will Gaza look like after the war? Conversations have begun, and the Palestinian Authority that governs the West Bank is trying to carve out a significant role. The move is certainly in its self-interest but could also open a door to the long-abandoned peace process.

The PA’s priorities: a Gaza cease-fire, opening of humanitarian corridors, and a wider political settlement under which the Authority would return to Gaza. Working alongside Jordan and Egypt, it envisions a peace conference held by the United Nations, not under the less trusted U.S. Negotiations are even underway with Saudi Arabia to offer normalization to Israel as part of a wider deal that would strengthen this initiative.

Officials are holding up the attack by Hamas as proof that attempts at regional peace that have circumvented the Palestinians have failed and that only Palestinian statehood could ensure “stability, security, and peace for Israel and the region.”

“Despite all the difficulties, this horrendous war offers a promising opening,” says Mohammed Hourani, a prominent Fatah member. “We can turn this opening into a historic opportunity for our people if we act wisely and act fast.”

Amid calls for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, an energized Palestinian Authority is preparing for the day after.

With the United States and Europe giving the Palestinians the most diplomatic attention in a decade, officials in Ramallah see a rare opportunity to revive a moribund peace process, reverse the fortunes of an unpopular and distrusted Authority (PA), and bring Palestinians closer to statehood.

“Despite all the difficulties, this horrendous war offers a promising opening,” says Mohammed Hourani, a former Palestinian diplomat and a member of the revolutionary council for Fatah, the dominant faction in the PA. “We can turn this opening into a historic opportunity for our people if we act wisely and act fast.”

Why We Wrote This

A story focused on

What will Gaza look like after the war? Conversations have begun, and the Palestinian Authority that governs the West Bank is trying to carve out a significant role. The move is certainly in its self-interest but could also open a door to the long-abandoned peace process.

Breaking weeks of silence, PA President Mahmoud Abbas spelled out the Authority’s vision to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Ramallah Saturday. The West Bank-based government would only “fully assume our responsibilities within the framework of a comprehensive political solution that includes all of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip,” said Mr. Abbas, according to the Palestinian news agency, Wafa.

The PA’s priorities: a Gaza cease-fire, opening of humanitarian corridors, and a wider political settlement under which the Authority would return to Gaza, which it governed from 1995 to 2007. 

PA officials are holding up the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas as proof that attempts at regional peace through Arab-Israeli normalization agreements that circumvented the Palestinians have failed, and that only Palestinian statehood could ensure “stability, security, and peace for Israel and the region.”

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