What's Next for Gaza?

Israel’s attacks on Hamas in Gaza have, so far, been effective: It has destroyed its security and civil infrastructure and damaged its credibility by making it look unprepared. But, if Israel succeeds in toppling Hamas altogether, what’s next? “It's not clear at this stage,” writes Khaled Abu Toameh in the Jerusalem Post, “whether there is any Palestinian party that would be able to fill the vacuum in the aftermath of the downfall of the Hamas government.” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party have made it known to Israel that they would like to takeover, but, according to one Hamas representative, “the majority of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip would revolt against any Palestinian official who returns with the help of Israel.” Toameh writes, “As of now, Abbas and [Egyptian President Hosni] Mubarak appear to be the biggest losers as a result of the IDF offensive. The two are being openly accused by many Arabs of having granted Israel a green light to launch the operation.”