Ben Cohen

The lull in fighting has allowed them to regroup.

So as far as they're concerned, they're not going.

Well, I mean, maybe, but nonetheless, it still warrants it.

I mean, I think the idea of Hamas mutating from an armed terrorist group backed by Iran into a legitimate political party that doesn't use violence, I think is an absolute fantasy, but that's what would essentially be required.

And so I don't see Hamas giving up its weapons, abandoning those elements of its political program that call for the destruction of the state of Israel.

I don't see it ever expressing any regret or remorse for the murders, the rapes, the sheer depravity that we saw on October the 7th.

So none of this is going to be palatable to Israel.

So I think there's a danger

And I'm not making this as a definite prediction, but I think there is a danger that at some point early in 2026,

the Trump administration is going to have to confront reality and ask, okay, do we now give up on disarmament?

Do we now give up on the international stabilization force?

At the moment, the rhetoric coming out of Washington is still quite optimistic.

You know, we're hoping to make an announcement by Christmas or by the new year.

Short of a

Black Swan event is the only way I can describe it.

I don't see that happening between now and December the 31st.

So, yeah, I mean, what is the political culture in Gaza going to be post-war?

Can there be a political environment there without Hamas?

All the indications at the moment are that that's not possible.