Daniel Levy, writing in Prospects for Peace, highlights the emerging plan that is being articulated over the last days from many quarters to deal with the Hamas victory in Gaza. This was the response to the way that Israel and America sided with a faction within Fatah, whose goal was the collapse of the unity deal between Fatah and Hamas after Hmas won the democratic elections.

Levy says that it is in danger of becoming entrenched, even though it is a fantastical one – divorced from reality and far too similar to the previous failed policies that helped create this disaster.

The emerging plan is known variously as promoting Fatahland, while punishing Hamastan, or West Bank first, or feed the West Bank/starve Gaza. There is no detailed elaboration of the plan yet, but its outline would look something like this. Use the new reality as an opportunity to drive home the division between the West Bank-Fatahland and the Gaza-Hamastan.Visibly demonstrate to the Palestinians that Fatahland is a happy place with an advancing peace process, while Hamastan is a dark and hopeless place excluded from this march of peace. Ultimately, so the story goes, the Palestinians embrace the Fatah alternative. Hamas peacefully accepts the consequences or is militarily defeated and we all live happily ever after.

It turns the clock back to 2005 and ties to wish away the last 24 months. Hamas democratically won an election deemed to be free and fair by outside observers. From that moment on, the policy pursued by Israel, America, most of Europe, and the Arab world has not been helpful. Round one of defeating Hamas militarily has failed.

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