Former PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad argues the focus on political conditions like Hamas's disarmament has overshadowed the immediate, catastrophic need to improve the livelihoods of people in Gaza, who lack shelter, food, and water. This prioritization of politics over people is the key failure post-ceasefire.
Salam Fayyad asserts that settler violence in the West Bank is not a fringe issue but is condoned by the Israeli government. Because extremist settlers act with the full protection of the Israeli army, which could easily stop them, their actions to drive Palestinians away must be understood as intentional policy.
Fayyad recalls his angry initial reaction to a U.S. proposal for a technocratic committee to govern post-war Gaza. He argues the plan was fundamentally flawed because it presumed Hamas could be completely eliminated—an impossible goal whose pursuit would lead to catastrophic loss of life.
Fayyad argues that to achieve national consensus, Hamas must be brought into the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)—the umbrella body for all Palestinians—rather than just the Palestinian Authority (PA), a product of the Oslo Accords. This structural change is key to forming a legitimate, non-factional government.
Salam Fayyad contends the Palestinian Authority is not simply in need of technocratic reforms; its political structure is fundamentally flawed. Even if managed as efficiently as Finland, it would still lack the national consensus required to govern effectively because it doesn't represent all Palestinian factions.
Fayyad is skeptical of recent international recognitions of a Palestinian state, arguing they often serve the domestic political needs of foreign leaders. He sees these symbolic gestures as worse than a placebo, creating a false sense of progress while the reality of occupation gets progressively worse.
Rather than pursuing symbolic recognitions from individual countries, Fayyad advocates for a diplomatic effort to secure a UN Security Council resolution recognizing the Palestinian *right* to a sovereign state on 1967 borders. This creates a powerful, internationally-enshrined legal basis for negotiations that Israel cannot veto.
Fayyad stresses that any future Palestinian leadership must build legitimacy from the ground up by delivering tangible improvements to people's daily lives. Rather than focusing on long-term political goals, the immediate, incremental task of providing basic services and welfare is the key to gaining public trust.