Dear Shadi, enjoyed reading your column. Let me point out the half dozen errors in it.
1- "Hamas [should] offload its governing responsibilities in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority." When you get that, I will get you an IDF ceasefire. In fact, a Hamas handover of arms to PA can end this war, yesterday.
2- "Palestinian reconciliation agreements, including the 2014 Shati Agreement and the 2017 Fatah-Hamas Agreement, Hamas agreed to subject itself to the authority of a consensus government that would abide by previous agreements with Israel." There are many more Palestinian reconciliation agreements, including late Saudi King Abdullah taking Abbas and Meshaal/Haniyyah to swear before Kaaba in Mecca in 2007 to end split, and the most recent in Algeria in Oct 2022. None of these agreements went beyond signing papers, shaking hands, each party getting a hefty bonus for signature, then each going back to its trench. PA and Hamas never reconciled, will never do. Things are easier said in Washington than done in Ramallah and Gaza. When Haniyyah said in a speech last week that Hamas "accept a Palestinian state on 1967 territory," Abbas's advisor Mahmud Habbash said Hamas cannot propose anything because PLO is sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. The two sides might look unified in cursing Israel during this Gaza War, but animosity between them cannot be hidden.
3- "A return to the status quo ante, including a continuation of an Israeli blockade, would create the conditions for future radicalization." Now we know that under "blockade," 100 trucks a day entered Gaza through Rafah. Given the tens of thousands of Hamas rockets and other arms and ammunition, I fail to see where the blockade was. But even if I assume there was an Israeli blockade on Gaza, it did not "create radicalization" because Hamas coup predated "blockade." Israel left Gaza in 2005. Hamas won election in 2006. Hamas executed a coup, killed PA and ejected it in 2007, took over strip. Only then Israel imposed restrictions, the "blockade," on Gaza. Also, if Israel eradicates Hamas military (al-Qassam) in Gaza and someone else takes over government, no reason to keep the "blockade" that existed because of the Hamas takeover not causing the Hamas takeover.
4- "[Israel] would need to take concrete and tangible measures toward the establishment of a Palestinian state, including by entering into direct and unconditional negotiations with the Palestinian Authority."
Israel has never said no to talking to Palestinians, any day, any minute. It is Palestinians who have placed conditions on peace talks, mainly that Israel stop settlement building. Unconditional peace talks are brilliant, if you can convince Palestinians to accept them. I've been advocating for them for over a decade.
As for Israel taking measures to establishing a Palestinian state, I hope you see the absurdity of such demand. Only Palestinians can establish Palestine. The prerequisite would be for Palestinians to show ability to self govern, to respect deals with Israel and others, and to speak on behalf of all Palestinians (not Arafat signs peace and Hamas executes suicide bombings). Once Palestinians have a functioning government that speaks with one voice, Palestine would become a procedural measure.
All my best,
Hussain