Now that the ceasefire between Hamas-controlled Gaza and Israel has expired, the military situation is about to heat up again.
Gaza Rocket Fire Intensifies
What next for this strip of land on the Mediterranean Sea where more than one million Palestinian Arabs live? The overall plan of the UN Security Council, the EU, and the US., and the Quartet, is for Gaza to become part of the new Palestinian State. That state will someday include whatever parts of the west bank Israel eventually disengages from. A new Palestinian State will be started. Israel is a State, ergo the Palestinians must have one too.
I think I know the outline of the recent history of Gaza, but do feel free to correct me. The land area we now call Gaza was, prior to 1948, part of the British Mandate. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Egypt occupied Gaza and its surrounding area. The people living there were predominatly Sunni Moslems, spoke Arabic, and had many of the same customs and traditions as other Egyptians. During the 1st Israel/Arab war in 1948, some of the Arabs living in the area that was to become Israel left for Gaza and joined the existing Gaza Arab population. Depending on one’s reading of history, the Arabs either fled from Israel in fear because of the war or left Israel upon the urging of Arab leaders (the idea being for them to return after the Arabs won the war). In the 1948 war, Israel could have taken over Gaza, but chose not to. Then in the 1967 war, when Israel swept into the Sinai Dessert, it also took Gaza. In the early 1980s, when Israel was giving the Sinai back to Egypt, as part of its Peace Agreement, Israel offered to give Gaza back to Egypt but Anwar Sadat said no. About 2 years ago, Israel unilaterally removed all Jewish settlements from Gaza and the Israeli military also left the area.
At the risk of sounding not-with-the-program, I think the best outcome is for Gaza to become a demilitarized part of Egypt, like it was before 1967. If and when the new Palestinian State comes into being, it will be divided into two geographic parts from day one, with the in-between area being its former and current enemy--Israel. Further, the current elected Palestinian leadership in Gaza is now Hamas--a group of Iranian backed radical islamists, who are now seeking to formally institute sharia law in Gaza. This is not a formula for success.
If I were a current resident of Gaza, and was given a choice between being a part of the new Hamas or even PLO State or joining Egypt, I would opt to be a part of Eqypt. Part of a "normal" country. Give me my Egyptian passport and let's get on with life. I understand that Egypt has to be persuaded to take the area.
There may be historical instances of solving border disputes between two countries (which is what I think this is) by creating a 3rd country in the disputed area, but I can‘t see that improving the situation in the case of Gaza. How about a referendum for the people of Gaza?. Question: Do you want to join Egypt? Let's see what happens.